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ABSTRACT
This article considers the relationship between the identity of social work and the neoliberal political project. Reference is made to a small but carefully structured quantitative research study in Auckland, New Zealand which examined the knowledge applied and produced in the practice of social work. This study found evidence consistent with Philp’s [(1979). Notes on the form of knowledge in social work. Sociological Review, 27(1), 83–111] theorisation of a specific ‘form of knowledge’ for social work which is produced and reproduced as a function of relational engagement between social workers and those who are constructed as ‘clients’ in an unequal society. This discourse casts the ‘failing subject’ as socially located and inherently redeemable in direct contrast to populist neoliberal constructions of personal responsibility and moral deficit. With reference to dialectical theory it is suggested that this resilient discourse, embedded in ‘every-day’ practice, is inevitably a source of resistance to the imposition of neoliberal practice and policy design. This resistance provides hope for the progressive voice of social work in the current contest of ideas in relation to the future development of social work.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes on contributor
Dr Ian Hyslop is a lecturer in social work and social policy with the School of Counselling Human Services in Auckland, New Zealand. He worked for 20 years as a social worker and team leader in statutory child protection social work and has an abiding interest in the relationship between the craft of social work practice and the social context within which it operates.
Notes
1 Located in the North Island of New Zealand, Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with a socially and ethnically diverse population of approximately 1.5 million.
2 Spolander et al. (Citation2015) recognise the significant variations within Western welfare regimes such as German ‘ordoliberalism’ – a state-centred variant of neoliberalism which seeks to establish a framework for perfect competition; seeking to rescue capitalism from some of its more destructive contradictions.
3 Philp (Citation1979) credits the fundamental insight that knowledge is a social product arsing within a set of social relations to Marx but goes on to apply a Foucauldian analytical framework in theorising a particular discursive form of knowing for social work.
4 ‘Aotearoa’ is the Māori language name for New Zealand; the name coined by the ‘tangata whenua’ – the first/indigenous people of the land.
5 In the interests of clarity the final number of participants was 21, as one of the interviewees requested that a colleague join in with her interview. This was appropriate in the circumstances given Māori social conventions.
6 ‘Pakeha’ is the Māori term for non-Māori people/s. It tends to be associated with people of European decent, as opposed to other non-indigenous New Zealanders, because of the historical colonial relationship.
7 The term ‘Pasefika’ is a generic reference to people(s) whose ethnic identity is linked with the numerous pacific island nation states which stretch across the south pacific region.
8 Work and Income New Zealand is the state agency responsible for the administration of benefits and pensions.
9 Whangarei is the northern-most provincial city in New Zealand. Dargaville is a relatively large town centre situated on the west coast of the northern North Island. ‘Whanau' is the Māori language term for the concept of extended family/kin group.
10 The domestic purposes benefit (DPB) refers to a state allowance for single parents. The name of this benefit has recently been altered and entitlement restricted significantly.
11 Housing New Zealand is the state agency responsible for public housing.