Social Work and Right-Wing Extremism in Germany—Reflections on Biographical Involvement

Abstract

For a long time now, it has been possible to observe a strengthening of the radical right, not only in Germany, but also in other European countries. The strengthening of radical right-wing tendencies calls social work into the arena, in addition to other professions, and confronts it with a great variety of tasks. Besides preventive political education and education in democracy, these tasks include working with victims of right-wing violence, as well as with the perpetrators. This paper deals with the challenges faced by social workers who decide to work in the field of the radical right. We will show that it is necessary for social workers to reflect on their reasons for deciding to work in this field, and on how their motives are related to their biographies and their own family history. We will first briefly consider the importance of self-reflection for social work practitioners, and then discuss this in the light of working in this particular field. We will present two cases of practitioners, to discuss the relevance to social work practice of family dynamics and biographical involvement, showing how practitioners can be supported in their work, and how self-reflection can lead to greater professionalization.