Social work is often presented as a benevolent and politically neutral profession, avoiding discussion about its sometimes troubling political histories. This book rethinks social work’s legacy and history of both political resistance and complicity with oppressive and punitive practices. Using a comparative approach with international case studies, the book uncovers the role of social workers in politically tense episodes of recent history, including the anti-racist struggle in the US and the impact of colonialism in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. As the de-colonisation of curricula and the Black Lives Matter movement gain momentum, this fascinating book skilfully navigates social work’s collective political past while considering its future.

Rich Moth is Lecturer in Social Work at Royal Holloway University of London.

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Michael Lavalette is a Professor in the Department of Social Work, Care and Justice at Liverpool Hope Univeristy. He has published widely on radical social work and contemporary social movements. He is co-editor of Critical and Radical Social Work journal.

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Chair, British Association of Social Workers, 2014-2018

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Vasilios Ioakimidis is Editor of the British Journal of Social Work, Founding Professor of Social Work and Director of the Centre for Social Work at the University of Essex and a founding member of the Social Work Action Network.

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"This is an important book examining social work's collective past in order to ensure a future where human rights and social justice are upheld in marginalized communities." Professional Social Work