Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Social Work pp 229–239Cite as

Anti-oppressive practice

  • Chapter

Abstract

The complex nature of oppression is witnessed in the lives of people who are marginalised in this society. As social work practitioners, we have a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to challenge inequality and disadvantage. Historically, the profession, in attempting to understand, explain and offer solutions to the difficulties experienced by groups and individuals, has drawn from, amongst others, the disciplines of sociology, psychology, history, philosophy and politics. This multidisciplined theoretical framework, informed by antioppressive principles, provides social workers with a tool to understand and respond to the complexity of the experience of oppression.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Further reading

  • Barn, R. (1993) Black Children in the Public Care System (London, Batsford). A research study which highlights the significance of race and racism on decisions made by social workers and on the care careers of black children.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campion, M. J. (1995) Who’s Fit To Be a Parent? (London, Routledge). This book, cutting across numerous professional boundaries and personal expertise on parenting, investigates what is deemed as fit parenting and how it is to be assessed.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hugman, R. and Smith, D. (1995) Ethical Issues in Social Work (London, Routledge). A critical analysis of the ethical implications of recent legislation, trends in social work thought and policy such as user empowerment, feminism and anti-oppressive practice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Humphries, B. (ed.) (1996) Critical Perspectives on Empowerment (Birmingham, Venture). Interrogates the concept of empowerment and raises questions about the political context in which debates about empowerment take place.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, A. (1983) The Color Purple (London, Women’s Press). A first-person account of domination and abuse, it is also a story of recovery and the love and support that women can offer to each other.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Beverley Burke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Philomena Harrison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, UK

    Robert Adams (Professor of Human Services Development) (Professor of Human Services Development)

  2. Department of Social Work Studies, University of Southampton, UK

    Lena Dominelli (Professor of Social and Community Development) (Professor of Social and Community Development)

  3. Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

    Malcolm Payne (Professor of Applied Community Studies) (Professor of Applied Community Studies)

Copyright information

© 1998 Beverley Burke and Philomena Harrison

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Burke, B., Harrison, P. (1998). Anti-oppressive practice. In: Adams, R., Dominelli, L., Payne, M., Campling, J. (eds) Social Work. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-14400-6_19

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation