‘I’m actually your worst nightmare’: intergenerational dialogues of social workers in search of the political

ABSTRACT

There is an ongoing debate about the depoliticisation of social work. In this debate, the finger of blame is pointed to the newest generation, as they are likely to be more inclined to have an individualised and controlling perspective on clients, and to be less involved in a social justice approach. In this article, we explore intergenerational dialogues as a non-formal approach to this debate. Intergenerational dialogues have a discursive value and are of direct significance for the participants. In some dialogues, differences between the newest and oldest generation were polarised. This led to stronger divisions and to a poorer understanding of the underlying political arguments. In other cases, a certain degree of rapprochement of sentiment between the generations was noticed. This was expressed in a greater understanding and acceptance of each other’s assumptions or manifested as a learning opportunities from one generation to the other. Therefore, social welfare organisations should engage in creating free space for discussions about the political nature of the profession. Intergenerational dialogues enable them to discuss the very distinct perspectives of different generations in an informal manner. Furthermore, intergenerational dialogues can be regarded as learning opportunities without a fixed educational agenda.

SAMENVATTING

Er is een voortdurend debat over de depolitisering van sociaal werk. In dit debat wordt met regelmaat beschuldigend gekeken naar de nieuwste generatie. Er wordt namelijk verondersteld dat meer individualiserend en controlerend werken, bovendien zou de nieuwste generatie minder streven naar sociale rechtvaardigheid. In dit artikel verkennen we intergenerationele dialogen als een niet-formele benadering tot het depolitiseringsdebat. Intergenerationele dialogen hebben een specifieke discursieve waarde waarbij ze van directe betekenis zijn voor de deelnemers. In sommige van deze dialogen leidde polarisatie tot een sterkere verdeeldheid met onbegrip voor de onderliggende politieke argumenten. In andere dialogen werd een zekere mate van toenadering tussen de generaties geconstateerd. Dit uitte zich in de acceptatie van elkaars veronderstellingen en leidde tot leermogelijkheden tussen generaties. Sociaal werk dient zich te beraden over de vrije ruimte voor discussies over het politieke. Intergenerationele dialogen stellen hen hiertoe in staat op informele wijze. Bovendien kunnen intergenerationele dialogen beschouwd als spontane leermomenten zonder een vaste educatieve agenda.

KEYWORDS:

• Politicisation
• generations
• human rights/social justice
• professions

TREFWOORDEN:

• Politisering
• generaties
• mensenrechten
• sociale rechtvaardigheid
• professie

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the research fund of the HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts. https://www.hogent.be/en/research/

Notes on contributors

Steven Brandt

Steven Brandt is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Work at Ghent University. He is a lecturer at the HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts and a researcher at the HOGENT Research Centre for Sustainable Organizations.

Rudi Roose

Rudi Roose is Associate Professor of Social Work, affiliated to the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University, Belgium. His research interests include social work and social rights, child welfare and protection, rationalisation and marketisation of public service delivery, and primary social work and social assistance service delivery.

Griet Verschelden

Griet Verschelden has a PhD in social pedagogy. She is head of the department of Social Work at the HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts.