ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that social work practice that is alive to spirituality and religion can construct a critical practice that expands its capacity to galvanise social justice. Spirituality and religion, through their potential to bring together 'situated' contextual knowledge of people's 'glocal' needs, ultimate concerns, oppression and forms of resistance, can be a significant catalyst in social work practice for inspiring and motivating social justice. While achievement of spiritual and religious rights can lead to greater social justice for disadvantaged social groups, at the same time, spirituality and religion can be powerfully instrumental in realising other human rights. Increasing spiritual and religious pluralism and new transnational spiritual and religious dynamics are linked, in large part, to large scale movements of people as well as other processes of globalisation. In a post-secular world, with religion acknowledged as an organising principle in state governance and civil society, spirituality and religion exert major influence in the way governments respond and resources are invested.
