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Reading Foucault for Social Work

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This book is one of the most important sources for social scientists to understand how Michel Foucault's conceptual tools can be used to understand 'social work'. It is inspiring, engaging and passionate explication of how theory makes sense of policy and practice. It is must a read for all social work students, researchers and practitioners.

Should be interesting reading for social workers, therapists, other non-profit and human service workers. If you're in the field and also are familiar with the work of Foucault, you might find the applications of his theory to the practice and theory of social work fascinating. If you're not too familiar with Foucault, you might still find the questions raised to be thought-provoking, as the book provides some good summaries of Foucault's thought here and there, including a round-table in which he and others discuss social work specifically. Essays range from more general discussions of Foucault's work and how it might be meaningfully to analyze and critique social work history, theory, and practice in a general way, to specific applications, such as a Foucauldian analysis of a welfare office, and an argument for why Foucault's theories do NOT seem to hold water with regards to issues faced by inner city youth. Editors provide a good summary of issues raised in the essays and suggest an approach for further discussion and research.

Ultimately, if you are interested in issues of power as they relate to social work theory and practice, this book is highly recommended. Foucault was interested in encouraging and providing a framework for practitioners, critics, and participants in various fields to carefully consider the origins and development of assumptions that guide our circumstances, attitudes, beliefs, and ways of acting, and to construct a "history of the present" in order to challenge those assumptions on an ongoing basis, and be aware of the constant possibility for change. While certainly not the only example of such endeavors being attempted Foucault-style with regards to social work, this is definitely a good step in that direction,and hopefully will inspire much more work along the same lines.