Revitalizing Families: A Communitarian Agenda for Social Work

Abstract

As the conservative tidal wave sweeps away the remaining vestiges of our national welfare state, another social movement of the 1990s, known as communitarianism, is gaining the moral attention of those who work for the rejuvenation of families and communities in our society. This paper explains the social philosophy of the communitarian movement and shows how this philosophy, when applied to social programs, can lead to a revitalization of American families, however those social, economic and nurturing units may be defined in a pluralistic society. The intention is to link communitarianism with social work values so that social workers may find additional professional sanction both to join in the movement and to apply a communitarian philosophy to their work with families and communities.