Critical Social Work Analysis

Critical social work has its ideological origin in the 'critical theory' ,which evolved from the German social thinkers from Frankfurt School in 1930. The critical traditions of social work began in 1960's with influence of radical social work (which criticised individual social work practice) and community work in UK in 1970's. However, critical social work, as a coherent term, has only been used more explicitly mostly in literature from Australia & Canada, in the last two decades.

According to Fook (2002, p. 18), 'Critical Social Work practice is primarily concerned with practising in ways which further a society without domination, exploitation and oppression'.
Two themes within critical theory are particularly relevant to critical social work. On the lines of first theme of critical theory i.e. going beyond mere understanding and explaining society to, critiquing and changing society, critical social work is committed to understand, critique and transform the exploitative and oppressive structures in the society. Secondly, critical social work analyzses all relations in the society in terms of power, thereby understanding the social relationships as both personal and political. This is in lines with second theme

Structural perspective is based upon Marxist analysis as it emphasizes the role of class dynamics in society in the determination of power differences. Post- structural perspective on the other hand is based upon Foucauldian analysis which recognizes multiple ways in which power differences are created and maintained i.e. on basis of gender, race, caste, etc. But both these perspectives support structural social work in critique of individualized social work practice as it locates problems in individuals rather than in social and economic structures in the