Social Work Intellectuals in the Twenty‐First Century: Critical Social Theory, Critical Social Work and Public Engagement

Abstract

In this age of neo‐liberalism, characterized by a shrinking welfare state with policies that reinforce individualist values over commitment to the collective, there is an increasing need for social work academics to promote social justice goals through public discourse. At the same time, institutional pressures to ‘publish or perish’ are keeping many academics from engaging in the public sphere. How are social work academics dealing with conflicting values of social work as a unique discipline with social justice aims, and an institutional culture that rewards individual pursuits over public engagement? How can critical social theories help social work intellectuals justify public engagement as an integral part of their academic work? What can the ‘profession’ do to promote and support greater public engagement so that social workers working on the front lines, confined from speaking out for fear of reprisal, feel that they are part of a unified voice fighting for social and economic justice?