ABSTRACT
We live in an increasingly divided world characterised by the increasing inequalities, frequent climate crisis events, authoritarian populism, a global pandemic, and wars. Within this context, the argument for a revolutionary to respond to growing fissures of oppression becomes more compelling. Despite the neoliberal capture of higher education and much of the social work profession, higher education, including social work education, remains contested terrain in creating revolutionary alternatives and the strategies for achieving these. We argue this agenda requires a combination of what Wright (2010) calls symbiotic, ruptural, and interstitial strategies of change, and in which the latter two must be reclaimed to enact radical transformation for an egalitarian, participatory, and ecologically sustainable society. The discussion proceeds by revisiting the meaning of revolution and its relationship to the social professions (particularly social work) before examining the contemporary context and making the case for a renewed revolutionary politics, with a particular focus on higher education. After recapitulating the necessary critiques, the chapter sketches what a revolutionary alternative to neoliberal education might look like (the democratic university) and most importantly what options are available to those seeking such change today.
