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Globally, social workers are committed to human rights and challenging unjust social structures. However, their close ties to the state often reinforce such systems of oppression.
The first to apply abolitionist theory from international perspectives to social work, this book examines this contradiction, exploring whether social work can embrace radical change while operating within state structures. Bringing together scholars from the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, it explores alternatives for addressing issues such as child protection, mental health, violence against women, drug use, violent extremism, homelessness and Indigenous sovereignty.
Essential reading for academics, researchers, students, human service practitioners and social activists, this book interrogates the implications of social work's complicity with systems that perpetuate oppression and social injustice.
About the author
Ian Kelvin Hyslop is a senior lecturer in Counselling, Human Services and Social Work at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He worked in statutory child protection for 20 years of his working life and is passionate about aligning social work practice with the pursuit of social justice.
