Within dominant North American discourse, individual freedom is a substantive tag line for the mind-numbing tacit approval of the loveless marriage between capitalism and democracy. This paper provides an overview of the conflicted relationship social work have with the politics of liberation, empowerment theory, and self-determination, underscoring an ongoing identity crisis, which has been dressed-up as 'various tenets of the profession'. Connecting with the humanizing aspirations inherent to social work while building on critical and anti-oppressive theories and practices, I argue for social work to re-visualize and act on a cohesive emancipatory social work identity. True solidarity, which can only be uncovered through the relinquishing of a professional identity based on false consciousness and fear, is risking an act of love.
The congruence between social work activism and transformative research resonates with those who are looking to change the root causes of oppression. This article reflects the journey of integrating the identity of activist practitioner and researcher. The process of becoming a social justice researcher includes the discovery of a new set of lenses, emerging tools, and new pathways while maintaining a critical perspective rooted in antioppressive praxis. Research becomes an extension of one's own identity as a human rights activist, which requires leveraging the skills and capacities of research as a strategy to move to a more socially just world.
Employing Reid and Frisby's feminist participatory action research model (FPAR) as a guide, men from diverse ethno-cultural backgrounds worked with women leaders to take action on the issue of intimate partner violence. Engaging with four interconnected phases, the research team adopted shared roles of leadership which led to 29 collective actions. Through trust-building dialogues, we interrogated issues related to masculinity, gender equity, anti-racism, and decolonization. A "collective cultures approach" to men's violence prevention work was articulated and a grassroots movement emerged. As white women situated in both academic and community spaces, we discuss knowledges, actions, and learnings from this FPAR process, underscoring the tensions and contradictions of employing FPAR in real-life contexts. The importance and limitations of inter-relational reflexivity and power accountability are emphasized as a core tenet of FPAR.
"Multiculturalism is regarded as a key feature of Canada's national identity. Yet despite an increasingly diverse population, racialized Canadians are systematically excluded from full participation in society through personal and structural forms of racism and discrimination. Race and Anti-Racism in Canada provides readers with a critical examination of how racism permeates Canadian society and articulates the complex ways to bring about equity and inclusion both individual and systemically."--
Research training is a key area of social work education and integral to the success of future practitioners. Innovative pedagogical models for teaching research have been proposed, including those based on experiential approaches. This exploratory study evaluated a research practicum (RP) model for social work students. The intended outcome of the study was to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive model for RP that encompasses experiential, cognitive, relational, and affective dimensions of learning. In total, 16 students and 14 instructors completed an online survey and open-ended questions about their experiences. Mentorship was identified as a key component facilitating student learning during the RP across cognitive, affective, behavioral, and relational dimensions. Mentoring provided students in this study with modeling, guidance, and scaffolding; offering a secure foundation for developing their research skills; and envisioning themselves as researchers. The findings suggest that a RP can provide students the setting in which to develop a broad range of skills and competencies in social work research.
While most violent crime declined during COVID-19, domestic and gender-based violence either remained the same or increased in most jurisdictions. Some social movements have turned to engaging men in change for gender equity initiatives—confronting intersecting oppressions. In this systematic review, we examine peer-reviewed studies on White men's allyship across five electronic databases which resulted in seven studies that met the inclusion criteria. White men's allyship is an emerging research area that is primarily qualitative and exploratory with few high-quality studies. Antecedents of White men's allyship were a sense of fairness, justice, and equality; compassion; personal experiences of oppression; and caring community membership along with leadership skills. The processes allies experienced as they developed were turning points, learning and knowledge acquisition, joining social movements and engaging in social action, and skill building and maturation. Learning from the critiques of allyship is an opportunity for White men to engage in relationally accountable allyship.
Abstract In the early months of COVID-19's proliferation through Canadian communities, the now largely documented uneven impacts and burdens of the illness were emerging. Among the early COVID-19 casualties were workers in Alberta's meatpacking plants, with infection rates so high that the news quickly gained international attention. The Cargill meatpacking plant, overwhelmingly staffed by temporary foreign workers with no permanent status or citizenship rights, was the site of the largest single coronavirus outbreak in Canada. The need for a community response to this emerging crisis was a focal discussion for a newly formed network of social workers. A multileveled series of actions and systems advocacy were put in place. These actions would foment a vibrant and diverse "community of communities" while also unveiling challenges and obstacles to the work during a period of a shifting health landscape, shutdowns, and changing legislation. This article focuses on the development of a grassroots and transformative community-led response to COVID-19, describing strategies, implementation, and challenges in the "real life" context of the recent pandemic. Key learnings for postpandemic community organizing and social work solidarity actions are highlighted.
PurposeOur thematic analysis of the academic literature on Canadian Muslim Youth aims to identify and describe the factors which contribute to the construction of identity among Muslim youth in Canada and make some research and policy recommendations to address this issue. In this review, we responded to the following questions: What is the current research evidence for Canadian Muslim Youth identity construction? What are the major themes included in the identified publications?Design/methodology/approachWhat does it mean to be a Muslim youth in Canada and how do Canadian Muslim youth negotiate and construct their identities in a globally polarized world? Using Arksey and O'Malley's framework (2005), a scoping review of empirical studies published between 2000 and 2021 was conducted to explore the diverse contexts that intersect in the creation of Canadian Muslim youth identity.FindingsA thematic analysis of the literature identified five key themes: religiosity, racism and discrimination, parental influence, citizenship and gender that intersect in multiple ways to contribute to the construction of diverse and complex Muslim youth identities. The scoping review highlights a gap in community-based research and the need for a broader range of theoretical perspectives on Muslim youth identity construction, as well as culturally appropriate policies and social work practice models for positive youth development.Originality/valueIn contemporary Canadian culture, Muslim youth must negotiate and create their own exclusive identity, which justifies the context of what it means to be Canadian and Muslim at the same time. As highlighted in the literature, a number of tensions within the Canadian policy, between the policy and the Muslim tradition and within the Muslim community itself pose challenges in the identity development among Muslim youth. Therefore, It is critical for social work practitioners, researchers and policymakers to consider above mentioned socio-political and religious dimensions while designing, implementing and evaluating youth programs for Muslim communities.
Research supports that the positive involvement of fathers in caregiving activities cultivates family cohesion and fosters the emotional well-being of fathers and their families. However, there are limited community-based resources that support and celebrate the development of nurturing fatherhood and focus on strengthening father-daughter relationships. In collaboration with diverse communities in Calgary, Canada, a local network launched a community-based and culturally relevant program, Honouring Fathers and Daughters, to promote positive fatherhood roles and to celebrate both nurturing fatherhood practices and the significance of father-daughter relationships. Participants (N=65), from ethnically and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds, including 19 fathers, 17 mothers, and 29 children, joined the program. A community-based research approach (CBR) was employed to gather participant responses through feedback forms. Through qualitative analysis, responses indicated three key themes: valuing and appreciating father-daughter relationships, the need for social and cultural spaces for the engagement and transformation of fathers, and the importance of providing opportunities for fathers to learn new strategies for parenting and bonding with their daughters. This article highlights the importance of community-based engagement programs for nurturing father-daughter relationships and provides insights for communities.
