This updated third edition of the immensely popular Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice introduces students to anti-oppressive social work, its historical and theoretical roots and the specific contexts of anti-oppressive social work practice. Key to this practice is the understanding that the problems faced by an individual are rooted in the inequalities and oppression of the socio-political structure of society rather than in personal characteristics or individual choices. Moreover, the contributors show that social justice and social change — working against racism, sexism and class oppression — can and must be a key component of social work practice.

Drawing on concrete examples from specific practice contexts, personal experience and case work, including child welfare, poverty, mental health, addictions and disability, the contributors demonstrate how to translate social justice theory into everyday practice.

This new edition adds chapters on working with refugee, immigrant and racialized families; children; older adults; cognitive behavioural therapy; and using social media as a tool for social change.

Donna Baines is the director and a professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia. She is editor of Doing Anti-Oppressive Practic_e, co-editor (with Stephen McBride) of _Orchestrating Austerity and co-author of Case Critical. Her research and teaching interests include anti-oppressive theory and practice, paid and unpaid care work and social justice change.

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The second edition of Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice, edited by Donna Baines, is an expansive and insightful book that articulates and interrogates, through the voices of sixteen of the best social worker educators today, the scope of contemporary social injustice concerns and the remedies to be found anti-oppression theory and practice. The collective works centre marginalized and silenced voices, and articulate the praxis of anti-oppression; that is, what we as social work students, practitioners, and educators must know to be anti-oppressive in theory and in practice in our work with multiple populations. The book is a pleasure to read and the highlighting of key terms throughout the book, especially, will be valuable for students at all levels. This collection is a joyous act of “epistemic disobedience” and is sure to become the seminal work in anti-oppression theory and practice.

Raven Sinclair, School of Social Work, University of Regina

A key resource for social work students, educators, researchers and practitioners.

Susan Preston, School of Social Work, Ryerson University

Buy this book. Make it required reading for every incoming social work student. The best resource I’ve ever found to help with the challenging task of radiating social justice theory into the heart of social work practice. Accessible, real, and encouraging, Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice shines the way forward for our entire profession.

Elaine Spencer, Social Work Faculty, Red Deer College