What is it about?
This article tries to explain the way in which the rolling back of the gains from the post-war welfare state is facilitating the expansion of marketised social relationships into new areas. We argue that this creates a new social imaginary of functional (accepting of market relations) and dysfunctional people (incapable of accepting these) which we argue threatens the very foundations of progressive social work. We demonstrate this by looking at the deployment of terms such as 'empowerment' and 'resilience' in Social Work policy discourses.
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Why is it important?
The article is seeking to challenge the individualisation of social problems which is taking place throughout society. This is impacting on Social Work though the language we are using and the organisational structures in which we have to operate. We argue this that if Social Work is to retain its progressive mission, these issues must be debated and discussed amongst professional Social Workers.
Perspectives
I hope that this piece helps people understand how important it is for to be both Critical and Radical at the moment. We cannot simply assume that language around a concept like 'empowerment' is inherently progressive, because we are living in a time in which our public resources and even our language are voraciously consumed and appropriated by corporate capital.
Dr Stephen Cowden
Coventry University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The intensification of neoliberalism and the commodification of human need – a social work perspective, Critical and Radical Social Work, November 2015, Policy Press,
DOI: 10.1332/204986015x14417170590709.
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