Looking at the various ways the concepts of anti-oppression and social justice are utilized by social work scholars and the pedagogical means by which educators explore this material, this book analyses the difficulties of turning abstract theory into practice.

Focussing on the lived experiences of marginalized peoples as sources of knowledge and theory, it examines integrative educational pedagogies, such as those offered by Indigenous scholars and critical pedagogues like bell hooks and Parker Palmer, that flow from these epistemological and theoretical concerns. Furthermore, it analyses the main challenges that social work educators have highlighted regarding teaching courses on diversity and privilege. These include difficulties translating abstract theory into practice, tokenization, and othering of marginalized students, disregard for racialized professors’ knowledge, student resistance to having dominant beliefs challenged (about race, sexuality, and class, for example) and instructor difficulties navigating contentious topics.

It will appeal to scholars and educators interested in feminist, anti-racist, decolonial, and critical theories in social work, sociology, and social justice education. It will also appeal to those interested in transformative teaching practices, including the democratization of classrooms, Indigenous learning models, and experiential learning.

Shoshana L. Pollack, MSW, PhD, is a Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.