ABSTRACT
In social work, the relationship between research and practice has been debated intensely. The traditional view of the research–practice relationship is that research produces knowledge that then needs to be implemented or transferred to practice. This chapter discusses the issues of power in the relationship between critical social work research and social work practice, and suggests disagreement as a foundation for a reparative and practice-oriented critique that can supplement traditional modes of critique and foster egalitarian relations between social work research and practice. Disagreement as a critical practice engaged in by social work practitioners may supplement more traditional modes of critique and foster egalitarian relations between social work research and practice. The identification, legitimation and constructive use of disagreement may be facilitated by a creative use of research methods such as the use of vignettes.
