LibGuides: SWR-300: Lesson 2 Resources

Lesson 2 Required Resources

Textbook

Social Work & Social Welfare: Modern Practice in a Diverse World
Cullen, M., & Cullen, M. (2022). Social work & social welfare: Modern practice in a diverse world. OER Commons. https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82483/student/
Chapter 2- History of Social Work and Social Welfare
This second chapter from the introductory text provides a relatively standard overview of social work and social welfare history. It provides a common narrative about the roots of the profession. As you will see, this traditional narrative centers on white voices and white social workers and neglects the contributions of marginalized voices.

Articles

Unsettling Human Rights History in Social Work Education: Seeing Intersectionality
Brantley, N.A., Nicolini, G., & Kirkhart, K.E. (2021). Unsettling human rights history in social work education: Seeing intersectionality. Journal of Human Rights & Social Work, 6, 98-107. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/unsettling-human-rights-history-social-work/docview/2544996263/se-2?accountid=25320
Like social work history generally, this paper demonstrates that the history of human rights in social work education has focused on a single narrative. The authors suggest that the concept of intersectionality- one that we will engage in more depth later in this course – offers a lens through which to view this history.
African American Social Work Pioneers’ Response to Need
Carlton-LaNey, I. (1999). African American social work pioneers’ response to need. Social Work, 44, 311–321. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=ccm&AN=107146843&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=natuniv
While this piece is somewhat dated, it occupies an important place in the literature. In this seminal article, Dr. Carlton-LaNey discusses the often-neglected role of African American social work pioneers.
Black Contributions to Social Welfare and Social Work History
Harty, J. (2021). Black contributions to social welfare and social work history. Equity and Inclusion Speaker Series, University at Buffalo School of Social Work/Boston University School of Social Work. https://www.bu.edu/ssw/files/2021/02/Harty-BlackSWSW-Boston-20210225.pdf
This presentation provides an in-depth look at the Black contributions to the history of social work and social welfare. You are encouraged to listen to the recording of the presentation but if you are short on time, reading the slides will also be informative.
Cultural History Analysis and Professional Humility: Historical Context and Social Work Practice
Sloane, H. M., David, K., Davies, J., Stamper, D., & Woodward, S. (2018). Cultural history analysis and professional humility: Historical context and social work practice. Social Work Education, 37 (8), 1015–1027. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=ehh&AN=132616893&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=natuniv
The Evolution of Social Work: Historical Milestones
Simmons University. (n.d.). The evolution of social work: Historical milestones. https://online.simmons.edu/blog/evolution-social-work-historical-milestones/
This interactive page identifies and discusses historical milestones in social work and social welfare history. The assignment for this lesson requires you to do much the same thing. Pay particular attention to the types of milestones that are included. Think about how they fit with a more anti-racist, anti-oppressive view of our history.

Videos

Adichie, C.N. (2009). The danger of a single story [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/c

This now classic TED talk engages the issue of relying on a single story to understand events generally rather than from a social work perspective. Adichie’s words, however, are relevant to the ways we view social work history as well as how we interact with clients.