Common knowledge and culture of integrity

The neo-liberal economic thought, which heralded the crisis, persist in its hegemony (Stubbs, 2016). Economic gain and technological advancement rule over human relationships (Napan & Oak, 2016). The simplistic paradigm of cause and effect (gain and loss, normal and deviant) – binary thinking (by its simplicity) nourish cultural hegemony of neo-liberalism. Post-modern dissolution of grand narratives of social justice, human progress has paired well with the hegemonies of the numbers.

Hence, in social work and other socially engaged disciplines we are dealing in the crisis of today with enormously unsuitable knowledge – produced in a different epoch of welfare state (Flaker, 2016). Social work (and social action) is still dominated by sociological and psychological theories of twentieth century. In in encounters with the people those support the dominance of professional discourses and continuation of the notion that ‘professionals know best’. Further on, social work has been disassociated from development work (which has been left to self-styled developers, managers, politicians and NGOs and firms) and remained a concept of ‘a personal profession’ (Grebenc & Žganec, 2016). 

Cultural changes have through individualism, westernisation and globalisation corroded connections between people. It has produced arrogance to numerous indigenous and inclusive paradigms and not only these changes are physically depleting the planet, also the world is becoming soulless (Napan & Oak, 2016). Feeble are becoming threat – by myths of demographic changes, scapegoating the refuges, producing the folk devils out of people with mental distress, drug users etc. Culture of fear has become walls of the institutionalised regimes in community or in the institutions without walls (Case & Yates, 2016; Mali, 2016; Flaker & Ramon, 2016).

New ethico-political projects can be an antidote to such translations and to what is basically post-colonial mentality (Stubbs, 2016). They must be based on new knowledge production arising from the pragmatic but ethically bound solutions – dignity of humanity that may serve people. They need not rely just on the imperative of non-exclusion, also on ethics and aesthetics of old age, disability, deviance. Old age as one of the central issues of the epoch does on one hand assert the value of life, but also the value of death and life’s finality (Mali, 2016). 

Programme for the future of social work knowledge must therefore involve synergies of theory, research and movements – Dialogues in praxis to transform the Knowledge. It has to employ inquiry approach with hope, participation and must acknowledge the importance of people’s indigenous, and sometimes hidden knowledge (Napan & Oak, 2016). Social work has access to the knowledge seldom expressed publicly and is responsible for the minor cultural heritage preservations and representation – e.g. old age. In this was it can contribute to creation of new humanity, one that goes beyond race, nationality, class and gender but also affirms uniqueness of cultures, beliefs, orientations, contexts.

In this attempt, social work must address the dialectics of individual and collective responsibility, deconstruct actively the problematics of individual and devise ways of creating a collective responsibility, respect for diversity of life that would make a sublime community possible. Social work has a legitimate and indispensable duty to shape, within this context, its own taxonomy and syntax of action and become a real science of change and human emancipation (Flaker, 2016). 

References

Case, S. & Yates, J. (2016) ‘Examining social work with children in conflict with the law: Trajectories and possibilities’, Dialogue in Praxis (Ethics of Inclusion – special issue), vol. 5, no. 1­­. (forthcoming).

Flaker, V. (2016) ' Social work is the art of remaining human in the inhuman conditions’, Dialogue in Praxis (Ethics of Inclusion – special issue), vol. 5, no. 1­­. (forthcoming).

Napan, K. & Oak, E. (2016) ‘Inquiring into the Spirit of Social Work’, Dialogue in Praxis (Ethics of Inclusion – special issue), vol. 5, no. 1­­. (forthcoming).

Stubbs, P. (2016) ‘Resistance in Austerity Times: Social policy, social work and social movements in crisis conditions’, Dialogue in Praxis (Ethics of Inclusion – special issue), vol. 5, no. 1­­. (forthcoming).