ABSTRACT
This chapter marks the beginnings of a shift in orientation, from practice perspectives which focus on individuals (albeit in the context of their families and communities) to approaches which locate problems and issues not in the individual, but in society; the popular slogan, ‘the personal is political’, sums this up well. Feminism has had a major impact over the last 30 years or so, on public policy, on academic scholarship, on social work theory and practice, and on our personal lives and intimate relationships. Sometimes it has done so in an overt, unapologetically political way, for example, by drawing attention to men’s violence against women. At other times, it has almost imperceptibly changed the way we think about ourselves and society, leading to a much more finely tuned appreciation of power, resistance and change. Feminist ideas have been particularly influential in social work, because social work has always been a profession which is largely performed by women, with women (see Walton 1975; Perry and Cree 2003). The selected extract is by Lena Dominelli, a Canadian social work academic (based in the UK) who has written extensively on feminism, anti-oppressive practice and community work. Here she provides an overview of feminism’s contribution to theory and practice in social work.
From Feminist Social Work Theory and Practice, Basingstoke: Palgrave (2002): 17–40.
