Exploring theoretical resources for social work from the global south: Latin American critical theory

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores theorisation emerging in Latin America. In the mid-1960s, many social workers in the region were engaged in a ‘reconceptualisation movement’ which – propelled by extraordinary intellectual and political energy – provided the foundation for a reimagining of the profession. Despite the arrival of military dictatorships and neoliberal regimes in many Latin American countries, the movement persisted into the 1980s and it remains a potential source of for the renewal of theory and practice. Alert to the relevance of the philosophical and sociological literature in contemporary Latin America, the article critically articulates the work of writers remaining largely unknown to an Anglo/European social work readership often unduly influenced by U.S. paradigms and preoccupations. These include the more well-known Paulo Freire, but also Anibal Quijano, María Lugones, Walter Mignolo, and Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui.