The Road Not Taken: A History of Radical Social Work in the United States

by Reisch,Michael

• ISBN13: 9781583910252
• ISBN10: 1583910255
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781317763154
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-07-05
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The Road Not Takentakes a new perspective on the course of social welfare policy in the twentieth century. This examination looks at the evolution of social work in the United States as a dynamic process not just driven by mainstream organizations and politics, but strongly influenced by the ideas and experiences of radical individuals and marginalized groups as well. Michael Reisch and Janice Andrews have interviewed contemporary social workers, seasoned and novice, radical and mainstream, and combed archives and scholarly writings to explain why the profession has faced intense, sometimes self-imposed repression, and why anti-social welfare main.The Road Not Takenis an appeal to examine the past, the battles deferred, and to consider the ways that social work might respond to current and future political and cultural threats to social work values.

Author Biography

Michael Reisch, Ph.D., is professor of social work at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Janice Andrews, Ph.D., is professor of social work at the University of St. Thomas and College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Social Work: A Radical Profession?	p. 1
Radical Rhetoric and Reality	p. 1
Neglect of the Radical Tradition in American Social Work	p. 3
Uses of a Radical History of Social Work	p. 4
Definitions of Radical Social Work	p. 5
Emergence of Radical Social Work	p. 7
Repression of Social Work Radicalism	p. 8
An Overview	p. 10
Radical Social Work in the Progressive Era	p. 13
Roots of Radical Social Work	p. 13
Influence of Socialism on Radical Social Work	p. 18
Context of Radical Social Work	p. 19
Revolution in Charitable Methods	p. 21
Emergence of Radical Social Work Methods	p. 23
Radical Social Work and the Labor Movement	p. 28
Creating New Roles for Women	p. 32
Social Work Radicalism and Racial Justice	p. 33
Were Settlement Workers Really Radical?	p. 35
The Spider Web Conspiracy and the Death of Progressivism	p. 39
Spider Web Pamphlet	p. 39
The Great War and the Attack on Social Work Radicals	p. 41
Aftermath of War and the Beginnings of the "Red Scare"	p. 46
The Red Scare and the Sheppard-Towner Act	p. 48
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)	p. 51
Networks for Social Justice	p. 53
Civil Rights	p. 54
Impact of Social Work Radicalism in the Postwar Era	p. 56
Prelude to the Rank and File Movement	p. 59
The Rank and File Movement and the Precursors to McCarthyism	p. 61
The New Deal and the Rank and File Movement	p. 61
Rise of the Rank and File Movement	p. 64
Radical Unions in Social Work	p. 69
Rank and File Movement, Unions, and New Deal Politics	p. 73
Radicalism in Social Work Practice	p. 76
Precursors to McCarthyism: Repression of Radical Social Workers in the 1930s	p. 80
The Coming of World War II and the Decline of the Rank and File Movement	p. 83
Anti-Communism and the Attack on the New Deal	p. 87
A Few Simple Questions	p. 87
McCarthyism, Loyalty Oaths, and the Suppression of Political Dissent	p. 89
Attack on Common Human Needs	p. 91
Government and Private Sector Purges	p. 92
Purge of Radical Social Work Unions	p. 95
Social Work and McCarthyism	p. 98
Social Work and the Progressive Party: Persecution of Marion Hathway	p. 101
African American Social Workers and McCarthyism	p. 108
End of the Decade: Purges Gather Momentum	p. 110
The Reconceptualization of Social Work Practice	p. 112
Conclusion	p. 113
Social Work Response to McCarthyism	p. 115
The Blacklisting of Bertha Capen Reynolds	p. 115
The Survey	p. 117
National Conference on Social Welfare (NCSW)	p. 118
Attack on Social Group Work	p. 120
Voluntary Sector	p. 126
Drive for Professionalization	p. 127
Legacy of McCarthyism	p. 131
The Revival of Radicalism in Social Work	p. 135
National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO) versus the National Conference on Social Welfare (NCSW)	p. 135
Background to the War on Poverty	p. 137
War on Poverty	p. 139
The "Great Society"	p. 140
Milt Cohen versus HUAC	p. 141
National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO)	p. 143
Social Welfare Workers Movement (SWWM)	p. 152
Radical Legacy of the 1960s	p. 157
Radical Influence on Social Work Practice	p. 158
Image Building in the Profession	p. 160
Impact on Practice and Education	p. 161
Radicalism and Professionalism	p. 164
The Redefinition of Social Work Radicalism, 1970-1999--Part I	p. 167
An Overview of Late Twentieth Century Radicalism in Social Work	p. 167
Reaction to Radical Activism in Social Work	p. 169
Feminist Practice: A Not Always Radical Alternative	p. 171
Explosion of Radical Social Work Theory	p. 174
Debate Over Professionalism	p. 177
Peace and Social Justice	p. 179
Radicalism in Social Work Education	p. 182
The Redefinition to Social Work Radicalism, 1970-1999--Part II	p. 189
Catalyst Collective	p. 187
Radical Alliance of Social Service Workers (RASSW)	p. 188
Reaganism and Radical Social Work in the 1980s	p. 197
From "Radical" to "Progressive" Social Work	p. 200
Bertha Capen Reynolds Society (BCRS)	p. 201
Putting Radical Theory into Practice in the 1980s	p. 202
Radical Social Work in the 1990s: The Renewed Assault on Professionalism	p. 203
Radical Social Work Theory in the 1990s	p. 205
Conclusion: Radical Social Work in Action in the 1990s	p. 207
Social Work Radicalism at the End of the Twentieth Century	p. 209
What's in a Name?	p. 209
Where Are the Radicals in Social Work Today?	p. 210
Voices of Radical Social Workers in the 1990s	p. 211
Meaning of Radical Practice	p. 212
Challenging the Status Quo	p. 214
Community-Based Practice	p. 216
Sources of Political and Professional Ideology	p. 216
Professionalization of Social Work	p. 220
Influence of Radical Social Work	p. 222
Consequences of Being a Radical Social Worker	p. 223
Perspectives on the Future of Radical Social Work	p. 224
Conclusion	p. 225
Conclusion--The Future of Radical Social Work in the United States	p. 227
Radicalism and the Social Conscience	p. 227
Significance of Radicalism for Social Work	p. 228
Radical Social Work in a World without Socialism	p. 231
A Final Word on Professionalism and Radicalism in Social Work	p. 233
Sources	p. 237
Index	p. 265
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