Social work in the teeth of a gale: a resilient counter-discourse in neoliberal times

Abstract

This article discusses the findings of a qualitative research project in Auckland, New Zealand, which examined the proposition that a particular form of knowledge is produced in the practice of social work. Evidence consistent with Philp’s conceptualisation of a specific knowledge form for social work emerges from analysis of the data. It is apparent that the everyday practice of social work continues to engage with the lived experience of marginalised citizens in New Zealand and similar societies. It is argued that this process of relational engagement continues to produce a discourse of equality that is consistent with the politics of social democracy. The implications of the findings of this study are discussed in relation to the future development of social work practice and education given the current dominance of a neoliberal governance paradigm that is largely hostile to the inclusive discourse that social work practice inevitably produces.