Abstract
Abstract Social work in the twenty-first century is maturing as a global profession. This comparative study offers an original contribution to the evolving discussion in the field of international social work. The paper makes visible the socio-spatial dimensions and contested interpretations of international and indigenous knowledge through the experiences of social work students in the Global South and Global North. Drawing on findings from an online survey completed by undergraduate and postgraduate Nigerian and Scottish social work students (n = 142), the paper provides insights into the students’ experiences, expectations and perceived challenges. The Nigerian students critiqued the international (Western) knowledge informing their learning and practice, questioned the absence of indigenous knowledge and were aware of the importance, and challenges, of working with cultural diversity. The Scottish students showed little criticality of the Western (local) knowledge underpinning their learning and practice, did not prioritise learning about international social work and highlighted tensions between working with a culture of neoliberalism and social work values and social justice. We call for raising awareness of the epistemological foundations of what is included/excluded in curriculum and why, making the ‘local’ visible through re-balancing and contextualising the use of international and indigenous knowledge within social work.
Highlights
Social work in the twenty-first century is maturing and evolving as a global profession that is increasingly critical of what it is, its purpose, and future role at a local and global level
The following section presents findings from the online survey completed by 142 students studying social work in Nigeria and Scotland
Situating international and indigenous knowledge in social work education. Students in both Nigeria and Scotland demonstrated a commitment to social work values and ethics aligned with the international definition of social work (International Federation of Social Work, 2014) and the universalism of social work
Summary
Social work in the twenty-first century is maturing and evolving as a global profession that is increasingly critical of what it is, its purpose, and future role at a local and global level. The terms Global North and Global South are contested and complex with competing and intersecting themes of geography, economics, industrialisation and colonial histories (Dirlik, 2007). The result is that universities in both the Global North and Global South are privileging ‘white knowledge systems’ In the Global North, a drive to decolonise curriculum is beginning to make students aware of different ways of understanding, knowing and doing social work. This in turn is raising awareness and making visible the dominance of the Western canon (Choate, 2019; Smith and Rasool, 2020)
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