Upholding social justice: Obligation or optional extra in social work? Critical reflections on a classroom-based inquiry

ABSTRACT

Internationally, the pursuit of social justice is core to social work and social work education. In Australia, since British colonization, Indigenous peoples have suffered significant human rights violations, oppression, and racial discrimination. Some key literature suggests that cultivating empathy can facilitate action to challenge human rights violations and reduce racism. Previous research with social work students at a regional Australian university had revealed least empathy for vignettes featuring cultural differences. A classroom-based inquiry in 2014 exploring barriers for students to take an activist stance for social justice extended that previous research. Here, those findings are further pondered in relation to advancing social work education for socially just practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Social justice
• activism
• neoliberalism
• empathy
• racism
• social work education and practice

Acknowledgments

Students’ participation in the classroom-based research projects discussed here is acknowledged and greatly appreciated.