Anti-oppressive practice

Anti-oppressive practice is an interdisciplinary approach primarily rooted within the practice of social work that focuses on ending socioeconomic oppression. It requires the practitioner to critically examine the power imbalance inherent in an organizational structure with regards to the larger sociocultural and political context in order to develop strategies for creating an egalitarian environment free from oppression, racism, and other forms of discrimination in the larger society, by engaging at the legal and political level. In general community practice it is about responding to oppression by dominant groups and individuals. In social services it regulates any possible oppressive practices and helps in delivering welfare services in an inclusive manner.{{cite journal | last = Strier | first = Roni | title = Anti-oppressive research in social work: a preliminary definition | journal = The British Journal of Social Work | volume = 37 | issue = 5 | pages = 857–871 | doi = 10.1093/bjsw/bcl062 | date = July 2007 }}

Introduction

Anti-oppressive practice seeks to lessen the exclusion of certain social groups from social equality, rights and social justice. Social work generally is known to be a "caring" profession, but sometimes services provided that work for one person do not necessarily work for another or reflect the sensitivity required to work for another. Related to this there may be a 'care versus control' issue, because where there is care there is responsibility, and therefore control and power which can lead to exclusions (Humphries, 2004, p105). Knowingly and deliberately causing discrimination to another constitutes an oppressive practice, the behavior also matters as much as intent. The onus of the social worker is to show s/he exercised due diligence according to generally accepted practices and conducts him/herself in a manner generally accepted by society which constitutes as neutral/ordinary “humanity.”{{cite book|author=Robert P. Mullaly|title=Challenging Oppression and Confronting Privilege: A Critical Social Work Approach|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G70gAQAAMAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-542970-1|pages=128+}}

An imbalance in care and control of services may lead to oppression. Lena Dominelli (2002) defines Oppression as, "relations that divide people into dominant or superior groups and subordinate or inferior ones. These relations of domination consist of the systematic devaluing of the attributes and contributions of those deemed inferior, and their exclusion from the social resources available to those in the dominant group" (E.g. Xenophobia).{{cite book|last1=Dominelli|first1=Lena|last2=Campling|first2=Jo|title=Anti Oppressive Social Work Theory and Practice|date=16 September 2002|publisher=Macmillan International Higher Education|isbn=978-1-4039-1400-2|page=8}} The Exclusion that results from oppression or vice versa, can affect an individual or a system greatly. This often evolves from an evaluative process, where the individual ends up measuring him/herself in a hierarchy against the other based on the personal values s/he holds. Disposing to this, results in one's identity or trait being regarded as superior to the other, thus creating an "us-them" dynamic (othering process) resulting in division and which creates risk for oppression.Lena Dominelli, Jo Campling (2002). Anti-oppressive social work theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan. {{ISBN|9781403914002}}.

The anti-oppressive model

In social work, the anti-oppressive model aims to function and promote equal, non-oppressive social relations between various identities.{{cite web |url=http://www.nacsw.org/Publications/Proceedings2012/HogewoningAntioppresive.pdf |title=Anti-oppressive practice and social trinitarianism: An interconnection of faith and social work principles |website=Nacsw.org |date=2012 |author=Lydia Hogewoning |access-date=January 25, 2017}} Dominelli (2002) defines it, "in challenging established truths about identity, anti-oppressive practice seeks to subvert the stability of universalized biological representations of social division to both validate diversity and enhance solidarity based on celebrating difference amongst peoples" (p. 39). It remains dedicated to principles of social justice, which is also upheld in BASW values, by acknowledging diversity within oppression and considering the intersection and hierarchies of the "isms" that construct people as victims or perpetrators.{{cite journal|last1=Pitner|first1=R. O.|last2=Sakamoto|first2=I.|title=The role of critical consciousness in multicultural practice: Examining how its strength becomes its weakness|journal=American Journal of Orthopsychiatry|date=2005|volume=75|issue=4|pages=684–694|doi=10.1037/0002-9432.75.4.684|pmid=16262524}} The anti-oppressive model analyzes and advocates against macro & micro levels of oppression and emphasizes on social justice and social change along more empowering and emancipatory lines.Dalrymple and Burke, 1995

The complex and unequal role of "power" and "isms" are considered as an immense complication in anti-oppressive practice. Those who benefit, as in most relationships, are those with most power.McNay, 1992 Thompson argues that there are essentially three stacks of barriers in anti-oppressive practice. They are personal (P), cultural (C) and structural (S). P refers to personal and prejudice factors. C refers to culture, commonalities, consensus and conformity. S refers to Structural aspects like sociopolitical force or other social dimensions. Thompson refers to P being embedded in C and C in S, interacting with each other in continuum.{{cite web|url=http://youthworkinit.com/thompson-pcs-model/|title=What Is The Thompson PCS Model? – Youth Workin' It|date=6 November 2012|website=Youthworkinit.com|access-date=2016-08-18}}{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} Anti-Oppressive Practice seeks to identify strategies to construct power in a way that will address the systemic inequalities that are operating simultaneously at the individual, group and institutional level to oppose the production and reproduction of oppression.Yee, J.Y., H. Wong & A. Janczur. (2006). Examining systemic and individual barriers of ethno-racial minority social workers in mainstream social service agencies: a community project.Toronto, Canada: Funded by Canadian Heritage, Human Resources Skills Development and Ryerson University, Faculty of Community Services.

Personal / Individual Oppression: Personal / Individual Oppression includes the values, beliefs and feelings held by individuals that affect interpersonal relationships.{{cite book|author=Jonathan Scourfield|title=Gender and Child Protection|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JVsdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|date=23 October 2002|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4039-1403-3|pages=100}} According to Dominelli (2002, p. 6), anti-oppression is “a methodology focusing on both process and outcome, and a way of structuring relationships between individuals that aim to empower users by reducing the negative effects of hierarchy in their immediate interaction and the work they do together.” Dominelli, L. (2002). Anti-oppressive practice in context (2ndedition). In Social work: themes, issues andcritical debates(pp. 1-19). New York, NY: Palgrave.

Cultural Oppression: Language has a contribution to oppression in general, language with its marking function constructs social structure and an interplay in creating cultural values. Government records categorize people who are neither white or male, as ethnic presuming white people do not have an ethnicity but are the norm, and white people are often "de-raced" in discourses.Thompson, 2012{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Structural / Institutional Oppression:

In 2004 Humphries stated failure to critically analyse legislation's and social policy led "failure to identify the inherent racism within immigration" systems, an example of structural oppression.Derek Clifford, Beverley Burke (2008). Anti-Oppressive Ethics and Values in Social Work. Palgrave Macmillan. {{ISBN|9781137130549}}.

In community practices, anti-oppressive practice functions to address problems that rise due to structural imbalance; Herbert Marcuse defined the state as: "Law and order are always and everywhere the law and order which protect the established hierarchy; it is nonsensical to invoke the absolute authority of this law and this order against those who suffer from it and struggle against it."{{cite book|author=Gerald N. Grob|title=Ideas in America: source readings in the intellectual history of the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5knAQAAMAAJ|year=1970|publisher=Free Press|pages=532–|isbn=9780029130209}}

Professional practitioners are aware of the power (im)balance between service users and providers that reflects in practice, though the aim is always using this differences legitimately to empower others and reduce the experience of powerlessness and the resulting learned helplessness or the "culture of silence".Freire, 1972{{cite book|author1=Hubert L. Dreyfus|author2=Paul Rabinow|title=Michel Foucault: Beyond Structuralism and Hermeneutics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J1PJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA208|date=6 June 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-86732-6|pages=208–}} Lois McNay in 1992 commented on this power (im)balance as "Oppressions have always dominated on how our lives are lived, they are central to the profit base of the economy. The big three of them are gender, race and class". McNay cites exploitive division of labour as an example.

Social work solutions to the problems of oppressed groups by model should include policies that address all elements of oppression. However, Social workers also have to be aware that these efforts may not be necessarily supported by partners in the process of social justice.Steve Myers, University of Salford, 2015

Nature

Through anti-oppressive practice social work practice focuses on a more emancipatory form of practice which locates the individual people and their family within their social contexts and helps them with structural patterns of the society that perpetuate inequalities through promotion of choices.Thompson, 2011

When discussing things with service users, practitioners can use jargon, abbreviations, and legal terms which may create unnecessary barriers by reinforcing power differences between the service user and the practitioner.{{cite book|last1=Thompson|first1=Neil|title=Promoting Equality|date=2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|page=79}}

Anti-oppressive practice is a part of professional social work development schema. They are bonded by this to develop counter-hegemonic understanding of cross-cultural and personal differences.Clifford, 1994 Social work practitioners advocate against oppression by promoting increased respect for the "inherent dignity and worth of all people", and "social justice" (NASW, 1996). Acknowledging NASW values, along with "the importance of human relationships," remains an integral part of building empowering client-practitioner relationships (NASW, 1996).

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20140327112032/http://www.uvic.ca/hsd/socialwork/assets-ARCHIVED/docs/2013%20bswapplications/Chapter%201%20-%20An%20Overview%20of%20Anti-Oppressive%20Practice_Final.pdf An overview of AOP – Donna Baines]
[http://uk.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/24815_9781412922688_Ch2.pdf Useful concepts in Anti-oppression]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150226013433/http://www.oacas.org/pubs/external/antioppresssive.pdf Ontario Child Welfare]

Category:Social work