Social Work and the anti-oppressive stance

• Main Authors: Raven Sinclair, Jason Albert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Windsor 2019-03-01
• Series: Critical Social Work
• Online Access: https://ojs.uwindsor.ca/index.php/csw/article/view/5756

This theoretical article addresses a concern about the anti-oppressive stance adopted by Canadian Schools of Social Work and asks the rhetorical questions to nurture the discourse: is our anti-oppressive stance, so widely adopted across the country, meaningful or is it, like the Emperor’s new clothes, illusory? Oppression, racism, and aboriginal relations in Canada are examined against a backdrop of theoretical links to imperialism and colonialism to delineate the intricacies of the problem. The article begins with an illustrative story and concludes by asking pointed questions about the willingness of social work schools, student, educators, and practitioners to turn to the task of translating the theoretical of anti-oppression in the practical.