ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the pressing needs of communication in social work and the obstacles to it will be examined in the light of the German philosopher, sociologist and critical theorist, Jürgen Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action. Social work is a globalised field of action, facing theoretical, practical, ethical and pedagogical challenges caused by major global transformations that have given rise to an increasing diversity of socioeconomic, national, ethnic, racial and religious divisions. Habermas has shown that this increasing diversity calls for a specific kind of communication to reach mutual understanding and the emancipatory possibilities this entails. He also states that our possibilities for communication are often systematically obstructed. However, Habermas has not been content with stating the problem, he also offers a way to create mutual understanding and cohesion in a rapidly changing world. In such a context, the stakes for social workers (both as practitioners and educators) to communicate or facilitate mutual understanding over socioeconomic, cultural, religious and normative divides, are extraordinarily high. This chapter shows how Habermas’ concept of communicative action is a tool that both makes the stakes visible and molds a communicative practice indispensable in social work education and practice today.
