Participatory Social Work: Research, Practice, Education

Abstract

Participatory social work raises anew the issues of credibility of knowledge, processes of its creation and use, the purpose of social work, and its relationship to politics. It has given the impetus to the emergence of participatory research teams or, in the more radical viewpoints, to the gradual de-academization of both the empirical and theoretical aspects of social work. In this book we focus on raising controversial issues to encourage debate, reflection and discussion concerning participatory social work with a special attention given to participatory research. As a collective monograph prepared by an international team of researchers, it should help social workers, social pedagogues, politicians, sociologists, policy makers, social activists, etc. from different geographic and socio-cultural contexts to develop critical reflection on implications and consequences of doing their research, practice and teaching in participatory ways. “The book is the result of a longer discussion about Participatory Action Research (PAR) in different contexts. This book focuses on methodological and practical experiences of PAR in a more radical perspective. Not only opportunities but also pitfalls and challenges are worked out.”