IDEOLOGIES AND SOCIAL WORK: Historical and Contemporary Analyses

This book on Ideologies and Social Work: Historical and Contemporary Analyses is an attempt to add the much needed literature on the core social work subject of history and philosophy of social work. Social work education requires knowledge-as-action, knowledge that is contextualised culturally and historically and is shaped by the interaction between students and teachers. This course aims at introducing the students to a critical inquiry into the history of ideologies for social change and professional social work. It is the history of ideologies that helps us understand the roots of the contemporary reality, including the roots of social work profession. The social work approaches also can be understood better with reference to the ideologies that influence them.

Besides the introductory chapter on conceptual framework and curriculum planning, the book is divided into six curriculum modules. These modules are arranged to undertake a critical inquiry into the Western history of ideologies before the Indian history of ideologies, as the former has influenced the latter since the modern age. Similarly, the history of ideologies of social change is examined before the history of ideologies of social work profession as the latter developed in the context of the former. The contemporary ideologies for social change and social work are then discussed in the context of globalisation. The methodology of education that is suggested aims at exploring and understanding one’s own set of beliefs, based on one’s socialisation.