2023/03/20 by Michael Emru Tadesse, Susanne Elsen · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Health Professions · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Social Work Education and Practice #Homelessness and Social Issues #Community Development and Social Impact
paper · pdf · doi:10.3390/socsci12030189
openalex publication_date 2023/03/20 · openalex created_date 2023/03/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Social work (SW) is criticized for its (i) inconsistent ontology, epistemology, and methodology and (ii) co-dependency with the capitalist hegemony, which is the main cause of multiple crises that primarily affect the most vulnerable. Addressing these issues is of paramount importance if SW is to achieve its core mandate of promoting social change, social development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. The purpose of this paper is to assert that SW can address these issues by learning from the (i) Settlement House Movement (SHM), especially the Hull-House tradition of SW; and (ii) current endeavors of the Social Solidarity Economy (SSE). We were led to this assertion because we noticed in our research, in the area of SSE of vulnerable groups and SW, remarkable similarities and potentials of these two approaches to help transform SW. Our argument is based on data and insight gained from (i) a narrative literature review on the history of SW and the nature of SSE; and (ii) a systematic scoping review of the SSE of People of African Descent (PAD) in Europe. In this paper, we elaborate on our key arguments and provide examples and recommendations.