Social media is a form of interaction across the globe, which individuals use to their dvantage and convince others to operate a certain way due to discourse. We decry racism and declare our allegiance to anti-oppressive practice while working in primarily white agencies. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 7(2), 23-41. Maxines client, for example, comes to Canada seeking greater opportunity: opportunity that originated over two hundred years ago when my ancestors on the coast of Rhode Island traded with the Caribbean for goods produced by slave labour thus giving birth to the very American capitalism that created the need for Maxines and Ms. Ms migration in search of opportunity. She had two teen-aged daughters who had been left in the country of origin as very young children while Ms. M established herself in Canada. This assignment will discuss the case study given whilst firstly looking at the issues of power as well as the risk discourse and how this can be dominant within social work practice. Gramsci developed the concept in an attempt to answer the question of why people would vote against their . Were asked to help but not make people dependent. New York: Routledge. Maxine pointed out, for example, that Caribbean women were previously allowed to immigrate to Canada to take up positions as domestic servants but were expressly forbidden to bring their children. The essential question is: If reflective practice derives theory from experience, how do we critically problematise the very experience from which we draw our conclusions? I argue that understanding this process of production is a way of doing ethics which reduces, or at least acknowledges the unintended, often subliminal consequences of practice that flow from social ambivalence which constructs social workers and service recipients in the conduct of practice. In identifying this, Ronni restructures her practice in light of what has previously been left out. Dominant discourse is a way of speaking or behaving on any given topic it is the language and actions that appear most prevalently within a given society. Dominant discourse demonstrates how reality has been socially constructed. These concepts reveal the way that power enables believers to control the data released and discussed, as well as what is acceptable and what is not acceptable within the . This contradiction is internalized by Maxine in the form of her belief that she has failed Ms. M and that her monumental efforts did not make a difference in this case. Most social workers take up the profession because of personal ideals. The sense of the multiple stories at play helped relocate the notion of experience as brute reality carrying authority by virtue of being real to a notion of experience as constructed, contingent, and always interpreted. The . Discourses delineate what can be said within a given set of ideas so that critical practice is exercised when we try to look at what is excluded by a particular discourse in order to alternative viewpoints. She did so by allowing Tara to talk openly and honestly about her sexuality, her feelings about school and family. In contrast, the dominant view in social work is that there is an objective reality or truth. The power of discourse lies in its ability to provide legitimacy for certain kinds of knowledge while undermining others; and, in its ability to create subject positions, and, to turn people into objects that that can be controlled. A discourse of criminality, when usedto discuss protestors, or those struggling to survive theaftermath of a disaster, like Hurricane Katrina in 2004, structures beliefs about right and wrong, and in doing so, sanctions certain kinds of behavior. As such, discourse is imbued with attitudes and . The community discourse is consistent with the social work value base in emphasising social justice, community empowerment and the rights of marginalised groups (Ife, 2008). From this position, responsibility for the problems were located in the mother, who, in attachment terms, did not properly manage the separation and reunification issues. They generally represented moments of feeling as though they did not live up to the ideals and values they learned in schools of social work, and they felt a keen sense of disappointment and anger at their helplessness in complicated social, cultural and organizational conjunctures. (1998). Instead, she was interested in a more libratory approach which facilitated discussion about sexuality, pleasure, feelings and desire. The dominant discourse on immigration, which is anti-immigrant in nature, and endowed with authority and legitimacy, create subject positions like citizenpeople with rights in need of protectionand objects like illegalsthings that pose a threat to citizens. When Maxine regards Ms. M. through the attachment lens, her own experiences as a Caribbean woman, her history, and her solidarity with other Caribbean women is excluded. Despite Maxines best efforts, this troubled relationship ended in separation when the daughter moved in permanently with a relative. 'Oh' prepares the hearer for a surprising or just-remembered item, and 'but' indicates that sentence to follow is in opposition to the one before. Institutions organize knowledge-producing communities and shape the production of discourse and knowledge, all of which is framed and prodded along by ideology. Major theorists such as Michel Foucault and Stuart Hall . While not eschewing the need to take positions in other words, without advocating relativism students could look at ways of thinking, at alternative perspectives that were outside the terms of the oppositions. On reflection, she sees that the opposition excludes aspects which both discursive positions require the inclusion of protection. Three types of ideology relating to social work are explored, and it is proposed that such case examples (among others) have, and continue to, maintain a significant influence within state social work. Here, I want to gather strands of the previous discussion. St. Leonards NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin. The concepts of discourse, power and governmentality have become important in understanding social processes. Discourse about social work In this article, I argue that a discourse about social work exists, and that within this discourse is found a 'truth' about social work as a practical, rather than a theoretical, enterprise. Innocence lost and suspicion found: Do we educate for or against social work? Indeed, Carol- Ann OBrian (O'Brien, 1999) documents the history of prevention of sexuality as the dominate focus of social work literature related to youth sexuality. which can be measured and known through research . For some time now, I have been interested in the role of critical reflection in social work practice (Rossiter, 1996, 2001). The only problematic area for all the social workers was their difficulty in naming the skills and knowledge used in their practice. It focuses specifically on participant . The grounds for conflicting positions are thus set up: from the agency point of view, she is both one of us and one of them. Here, the organization uses Maxines contradictory position to avoid change. We can raise questions about practices that may be outside such reproduction. When we fail, we describe the result as burnout. Her agency had neither an analysis of the sensitivity of her position in relation to immigrant clients, nor the racist assumptions that grounded these case allocations. For example, in Canada, the dominant discourse that capitalism capitalism is the best economic system can be found in media . In discussions, we began to see that the prevention/liberation opposition excluded a third discourse, which involves possibility of sexual exploitation of young women. How do some discourses oppose or resist power? Thus, Maxine as a professional is treated with disdainful suspicion by Ms. M. Maxine herself feels to blame for failure to make a difference with the case. When we look outside the boundaries of discourses, we may discover practice questions which help us reflect on power and possibility. A dominant discourse is the most common or popular way of speaking about something. Her mother had immigrated years before, leaving her in the care of her paternal grandparents and a stepfather. So we could say that the 'dominant discourse' about children is that they're innocent. The hold of possessive individualism in the helping professions means that the target of practice is the individual, community, or family in the present . We then asked what was left out when discourses were set in opposition. 14) through which certain social phenomena, such as 'need', 'knowledge' and 'intervention', are constructed. In this case, the dominant discourse on immigration that comes out of institutions like law enforcement and the legal system is given legitimacy and superiority by their roots in the state. This paper is based on the results of an Australian survey of 5007 young women aged 13-25, which examined their experiences of menstruation and dysmenorrhea. He wrote and lectured on the interactions between discourse analysis and social relationships in social work. the dominant discourse. Discourse is a coherently-arranged, serious and systematic treatment of a topic in spoken or written language. (p. 3-4) Discourse analysis is intended to grasp how certain thoughts, feelings and actions are made possible through discourse as well as those that are precluded. First, we could see how the diagnosis of attachment failure, born as it was in a history of forced separation, continues to reproduce forced separation of Black families in different guises. The words that dominated a 2011 Republican presidential debate hosted by Fox News. The social reality that creates cultural binaries and unfairness. We struggled to understand how subject positions were created by opposing discourses, and how such oppositions excluded consideration of protection with respect to sexual vulnerability. Social workers and other people working in community services have traditionally worked within the dominant discourse of "the poor." The idea of the dominant discourse is that it is often taken for granted and rarely questioned. Understanding our constructed place in social work depends on identifying how language creates templates of shared understandings. Weinberg, L. (2004). An ideology is defined as a system of beliefs and values that not only seek to describe the world but also to transform it. Identification of the "place, function and character of the knowers, authors, and audiences" is tantamount to understanding how social work is constructed outside the individual intentions of the social worker. 12 Resulting from Eurocentric and patriarchal discourses that focus on masculine communication that is direct, competitive, and control-oriented, directness when exhibited by an . We know all too well the struggles of the child protection workers, welfare workers, and hospital workers who find it difficult to face the fate of their ideals within the construction of their practice. I draw on his theories in this discussion). Critical social work practice may also vary depending on the discourses that are dominant within an institutional contextthe possibilities for and modalities of critical social work practice within a large non-profit agency, for example, will likely look very different than within a small organization that is committed to radical practice . By providing social workers with a greater understanding of the history, epistemology, and key assumptions, this article aims to promote critical awareness and critical reflection on how the biomedical paradigm may be influencing health care environments. Rossiter, A. For example, Tonkiss considered different explanations of juvenile crime constructed within discourses Social work education is aimed at helping students to meld personal, political and professional intentions, so that students can fight injustices while doing social work. Unpublished Ph.D., University of Toronto, Toronto. Its evident that discourse is the compilation of particular ideologies and beliefs concerning a certain bracket in the society. Ronni discussed it with her supervisor who felt obliged to inform other school personnel, to Ronnis dismay. I will outline how critical reflection based on discourse analysis may generate useful perspectives for practitioners who struggle to make sense of the gap between critical aspirations and practice realities. Fook, J. In order to achieve a critical social work practice a practice capable of grasping towards an ethics of practice - we needed to raise questions about the construction of experience in the classs case studies. . Taylor, C., & White, S. (2000). Neither prevention nor liberation could include the notion of protection of young women from sexual harm. Discourse typically emerges out of social institutionslike media and politics (among others), and by virtue of giving structure and order to language and thought, it structures and orders our lives, relationships with others, and society. Assessing the impact and implications for social workers of an innovative children's services programme aimed to support workforce reform and integrated working. Peer specialists with incarceration histories constructed new identities through their training and peer work by valuing experiential knowledge. In social work, critical practice is crucial because social work is a nexus where social contradictions are manifest. When I read the case studies, I was taken aback to find that students chose to write about stories of pain and distress in their practice contexts. Thus, Maxine is positioned to assess and discipline Ms. M. She cannot find room for the very insider knowledge she is supposed to have. The dominant discourses in our society powerfully influence what gets "storied" and how it gets storied. Educators from oneTILT define social identity as having these three characteristics: Exists (or is consistently used) to bestow power, benefits, or disadvantage. (1996). The second case study (Gorman, 2004) takes place during a practicum in a school setting. Foucault adopted the term 'discourse' to denote a historically contingent social system that produces knowledge and meaning. In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in the streets of Minneapolis 1 and the ensuing protests against police brutality, systemic racism and racial injustice, journalists of color were speaking out against institutional racism in their own industry (Farhi and Ellison, 2020). I suggest that this question is a practical practice question which recognizes that our cherished fantasy that practice emanates from theory is rather grandiose in the face of the complex social and historical constructions that produce the moment of practice. Ronnis anti-oppressive analysis focused on the disciplinary intent of social works history of excluding the existence of youth sexuality. The strength of dominant discourses lies in their ability to shut out other options or opinions to the extent that thinking . . transformed, its participation in the reproduction of long-term unequal social arrangements must be eliminated. We frequently found that dependencies within competing discourses were obscured by oppositions. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Class, race, culture, history are excluded as the focus on the dyad is retained as an explanation for family breakdown. Michel Foucault. Further to this a task centred approach will be explained and how it could be used when approaching this case study. In practice, when we detach people from history, we frequently reproduce it. . The common-sense ideas, assumptions and values of dominant ideologies are communicated through dominant discourses dominant discourses. These reactions may have political worth, but they have the effect of occluding the inevitable messiness of our constructed place, thus leaving the field open for individual self-doubt and apology. Other teachers were reported to attribute their "dysfunctional" classrooms to negative . Understanding our perspectives as contingent enables us to understand our own complicated construction within a field of multiple stories giving rise to multiple perspectives. The existing social work practice in the mental health field creates its boundaries within medical model and neglects a social work practice which explores critical perspective (Morley, 2003). Despite the impacts of contemporary discourses, social work across the . She engaged in low level self-mutilation and in sexual activity. Abstract. Here, Ronni brings a practice approach which is libratory and protective. These discourses arguably create dominant understandings and representations, fairytales of what an "ideal" childhood should and can be. Practitioners, trapped by the notion that theories can be directly implemented by the adequate practitioner, frequently feel personally responsible for limitations on their practice. Narrative therapy is a style of therapy that helps people becomeand embrace beingan expert in their own lives. We looked at how these conflicting discourses positioned Ronni, Tara and school personnel. Ronni worked with Tara from a critique of prevention and risk education strategies normally used in dealing with girls sexuality. In this hope for practice as justice, the responsibility of social work is shifted from change at the more discreet levels of individuals, families, groups, communities, to the social determinants that produce private troubles. And family of multiple stories giving rise to multiple perspectives or opinions to the extent thinking... 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