Michael Wallengren-Lynch - Böcker

In a world gripped by intersecting crises and deepening inequalities, can social work break free from its colonial entanglements to imagine a more just and compassionate future?Decolonising Social Work Education: Memory, Haunting and Critical Hope in the Nordics confronts the enduring legacies of colonialism that continue to shape the foundations of social work education. Through the lenses of haunting, memory, and critical hope, it challenges the discipline’s historical complicity with systems of domination and calls for a radical reimagining of its pedagogical core. Grounded in pluriversal knowledges and informed by decolonial thought, this book advocates for a transformative, relational curriculum—one that resists neoliberalism, carceral logics, and epistemic injustice.Drawing on examples from the Nordic context, it offers a bold vision for social work rooted in justice, equity, and ecological interconnectedness. With humility, reflection, and collective imagination, it charts a path towards a liberatory future where social work becomes a force for healing and transformation.

Det offentliga sociala arbetet befinner sig i dag i ett tillstånd som innebär att det relationellt mänskliga, strukturella, förebyggande och lokalt förankrade sociala arbetet inte ges tid eller plats. Ett sådant offentligt socialt arbete får svårt att bidra till social förändring. Bokens författare, både forskare och praktiker, värnar ett visionärt socialt arbete som bygger på värderingar om social rättvisa och mänskliga rättigheter snarare än en organisering som bygger på värderingar om effektivisering, ekonomisering, individualisering och svenskhet. Socialt arbete - rörelse, motstånd, förändring diskuterar, ur olika perspektiv, hur viktigt det är med ett kritiskt socialt arbete i ett sammanhang där människor i stor utsträckning görs till utgiftsposter, mätvärden eller invandrare. Ett annat socialt arbete är möjligt! Boken är lämplig för studenter i socialt arbete, verksamma socialarbetare, politiker och andra som intresserar sig för möjligheten att genom socialt arbete åstadkomma hållbar förändring.

In a world gripped by intersecting crises and deepening inequalities, can social work break free from its colonial entanglements to imagine a more just and compassionate future?Decolonising Social Work Education: Memory, Haunting and Critical Hope in the Nordics confronts the enduring legacies of colonialism that continue to shape the foundations of social work education. Through the lenses of haunting, memory, and critical hope, it challenges the discipline’s historical complicity with systems of domination and calls for a radical reimagining of its pedagogical core. Grounded in pluriversal knowledges and informed by decolonial thought, this book advocates for a transformative, relational curriculum—one that resists neoliberalism, carceral logics, and epistemic injustice.Drawing on examples from the Nordic context, it offers a bold vision for social work rooted in justice, equity, and ecological interconnectedness. With humility, reflection, and collective imagination, it charts a path towards a liberatory future where social work becomes a force for healing and transformation.

This book brings a novel approach to issues of connecting social work practice to theory and the personal life narrative. The authors each find their own unique way of integrating the self, theory, and practice, in different social work practice and education settings. Contributors use the methodology of narrative to tell their story about their social work journey, be that in research, teaching, or practice. The backdrop for this book is Sweden. The country’s rich heritage of welfare provision but also recent cultural diversity offers a unique Nordic context to the subject matter. The contributors engage with these new conditions for Swedish social work through an intersectional lens. Topics explored include:Digging in the present: A day in the life of a school counsellorWe live in a political world: Between needs and moneyThe problematic labour market situation of immigrants to Sweden: Consequences and causesTackling the contradictory nature of social workUsing anti-oppressive practice to promote social inclusion in social work educationThe result is a book that is personal and reflexive, and positions the contributors' narratives as a window to understand and address social problems.Narratives of Social Work Practice and Education in Sweden should engage those interested in the Swedish welfare state, and who want to learn about how social work is taught and practised in this country. Intended to be a general introduction, the book provides guidance to those considering working in the field and for those newly qualified. It also provides examples for students of social work to connect personal narratives to social work settings.