Social Worker as Intellectual

Cowden, Stephen ORCID: 0000-0002-2549-8760 and Singh, Gurnam (2009) Social Worker as Intellectual. European Journal of Social Work, 12 (4). pp. 1369-1457. doi:10.1080/13691450902840689

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Abstract

This paper examines the state of intellectual activity within social work under the conditions of neo-liberalism. It is motivated by concern with the demise of what previously was termed ‘bottom-up’ social work and a growing sense of despair amongst front line social workers regarding their capacity to engage with users, citizens and communities in ways other than those determined by managerial and regulatory mechanisms. This leads us into a discussion about the possibilities of what it might mean for social workers to think of themselves as ‘intellectuals’. It considers the different meanings of the term ‘intellectual’ and argues that social work has much to gain from the tradition which has identified new kinds of public sector professionals as ‘transformative intellectuals’.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Intellectuals; Social justice; Neo-liberalism; Welfare; Theory
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology. > HV40-69 Social Work
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Health and Social Care
Research Priority Areas:	Health, Life Sciences, Sport and Wellbeing
Depositing User:	Stephen Cowden
Date Deposited:	01 Dec 2023 13:06
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2023 13:06
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/13490

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