The Movement for Ethnic Studies: A Tool of Resistance and Self-Determination for Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

Social work is contending with an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse population and an academic field that is facing mounting pressure to diversify its curriculum to meet the needs of its students and the communities that social workers serve and inhabit. This article draws on the history of ethnic studies and the work that the field has produced to inform and challenge social work to recognize its shortcomings in addressing racial equity and advance the profession to commit to self-determination for all. In particular, the ethnic studies movement gave rise to relevant education reflective of the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. Inspired by the canon and ideologies of ethnic studies, we offer recommendations for social work education.

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Notes on contributors

Dale Dagar Maglalang

Dale Dagar Maglalang is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health. Cindy C. Sangalang is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles with a joint appointment in the Department of Social Welfare within the Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Asian American Studies Department. Felicia M. Mitchell is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. Stephanie Lechuga-Peña is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. Susan J. Nakaoka is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Social Work at Sacramento State University.