English Social work in Canada and the USA shares a common heritage in the commitment to advancing social and economic justice. Today the capitalist global market and increasing militarization affect social work in both nations. This paper discusses these challenges and presents a vision for social work as a human rights profession. French Au Canada et aux É tats-Unis, le travail social partage l’héritage d’un engagement à faire évoluer la justice sociale et économique. Aujourd’hui, la mondialisation du marché capitaliste et la militarisation croissante ont un impact sur le travail social dans les deux pays. Cette étude se penche sur ces enjeux et formule une vision du travail social en le considérant comme une profession liée aux droits de la personne. Spanish El trabajo social en Canadá y los Estados Unidos comparte una herencia común en su compromiso de avanzar hacia la justicia social y económica. Actualmente, el mercado global capitalista y la creciente militarización impacta al trabajo social en ambas naciones. Este trabajo discute estos retos y presenta una visión para el trabajo social como profesión de los derechos humanos.
INTRODUCTION: Many challenges that confront social workers today are similar to problems they have faced over the past century – inequality, poverty, unemployment, militarisation and armed conflict, and the challenges of refugee resettlement, to name a few. It is instructive for contemporary social workers to revisit this history and to determine if there are lessons to inform our current struggles.METHOD: This paper explores the issues faced and strategies employed by radical, politically active social workers, most of them women. These social workers had visions of social justice and were not afraid to challenge the status quo, often at very high personal costs. The radical social workers were expressly interested in social change that centred on social justice, women’s rights, anti-racism, international peace, and they worked in close alliance and solidarity with other progressive groups.CONCLUSIONS: This article highlights the work of five radical female social workers. Radical social workers were in the minority but they were extraordinarily active and made important contributions in the face of formidable challenges.
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