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Critical theory for social work : a simple introduction / Joe Whelan.
De Gruyter Bristol University Press/Policy Press Complete eBook-Package 2025 Available online
View online- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Whelan, Joe, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Social service.
- Social service--Philosophy.
- Critical thinking.
- Critical theory.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (xi, 163 pages)
- Place of Publication:
- Bristol, England : Policy Press, an imprint of Bristol University Press, 2025.
- Summary:
- This accessible introductory textbook unpacks how students and practitioners can use theory to think about social work practice. Introducing the work of some notable thinkers as a starting point, the book encourages readers to think theoretically themselves.
- Contents:
- Front Cover
- Critical Theory for Social Work: A Simple Introduction
- Copyright information
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of figures
- About the author
- About this book and core learning outcomes
- 1 Introduction to theory: theorising social work
- Defining terms
- Critical social theory
- For students: Exercise box 1
- Further reading
- Chapter references
- 2 Ways of knowing: traditional modernity and postmodernity
- Modernity
- Key factors of modernity
- The Enlightenment
- The Renaissance
- Reformation
- Liberalism and democracy
- The Industrial Revolution
- Key characteristics
- Social work and modernity
- Postmodernity
- Key factors of postmodernity
- Deconstruction
- Challenging truths
- Social work and postmodernity
- Summary
- For students: Exercise box 2
- 3 Karl Marx and social work
- Biographical note
- Introduction
- The Marxist dialectic
- Thinking about social work
- Marx's perspective on social class and the capitalist mode of production
- Alienation
- For students: Exercise box 3
- 4 W.E.B. Du Bois and social work
- The veil
- Double consciousness
- The colour line
- Du Bois and social work
- For students: Exercise box 4
- 5 Jürgen Habermas and social work
- The lifeworld and the system
- Lifeworld
- System
- The colonisation of the lifeworld by the system
- Communicative and strategic action
- Arguing the case based on evidence
- Validation based on sincerity
- Morally appropriate statements
- Communicative action and ideal speech.
- Strategic action
- For students: Exercise box 5
- 6 Axel Honneth and social work
- Symbolic interactionism
- Recognition theory
- Recognition through love and social work
- Recognition through rights and social work
- Recognition through esteem and social work
- Misrecognition and non-recognition
- Misrecognition and stigma
- Social work and misrecognition
- For students: Exercise box 6
- 7 Pierre Bourdieu and social work
- Capital(s)
- Economic capital
- Cultural capital
- Social capital
- Symbolic capital
- Capital(s) and social work
- Habitus
- Habitus and social work
- Field
- Bring it all together: capital, habitus and field
- Capital
- The field
- For students: Exercise box 7
- 8 bell hooks and social work
- Intersectionality
- Intersectionality and social work
- Critical thinking
- Critical thinking and social work
- Love and community
- Love, community and social work
- For students: Exercise box 8
- 9 Michel Foucault and social work
- Governmentality
- Technologies of the self
- Governmentality, technologies of the self and social work
- Discourse
- Discourse and social work
- Power
- Knowledge and power
- Biopower
- Power through surveillance
- Microphysics of power
- For students: Exercise box 9
- 10 Judith Butler and social work
- Key feminist influences
- Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex.
- Luce Irigaray, Speculum of the Other Woman
- Monique Wittig, The Straight Mind
- Sex and gender
- Gender and social work
- Performance and performativity
- Performance, performativity and social work
- For students: Exercise box 10
- 11 Giorgio Agamben and social work
- Simone Weil
- Carl Schmitt
- Zoë, bios, bare life and Homo Sacer
- States of exception
- Examples of the state of exception
- Social work and states of exception
- For students: Exercise box 11
- 12 Summary: revisiting the learning outcomes
- Learning outcome 1: Readers will be able to distinguish between concepts and theory generally
- Learning outcome 2: Readers will have a good understanding of what generally characterises theory associated with traditional modernity and what characterises theory associated with postmodernity
- Learning outcome 3: Readers will be able to take their understanding of how to use theory to think about social work and apply it to the work of theorists not covered in this text
- Learning outcome 4: Readers will be able to use the theories and concepts introduced in the text as tools that allow them to reflect deeply on practice
- For students: Exercise box 12
- Chapter reference
- Index.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.
- Description based on print version record.
- ISBN:
- 9781447371700
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