IMPLICATIONS OF THE EQUALITY-OF-OPPRESSIONS PARADIGM FOR CURRICULUM CONTENT ON PEOPLE OF COLOR

Abstract

Because no distinction is made in the Council on Social Work Education's educational standards about the frequency, intensity, or pervasiveness of the various forms of oppression, social work education affirms what may be called the equality-of-oppressions paradigm. This article contends that, although the equality-of-oppressions paradigm is a valuable perspective, its ascendancy in social work education may be placing the coverage of people-of-color content at risk of being diminished. This article examines two implications of the equality-of-oppressions paradigm for people-of-color content: (1) the expanded definition of diversity, and (2) racism's persistence in social work education. The article also offers a model of differential vulnerability to help prioritize the various forms of oppression important to social work education.