Radical social work today

Michael Lavalette is Associate Professor of Social Work at Liverpool Hope University and national coordinator of the Social Work Action Network. He has written numerous books and articles about social work and social policy, including International Social Work and the Radical Tradition (co-edited with Iain Ferguson) and Globalisation, Global Justice and Social Work (co-edited with Elizabeth Whitmore and Iain Ferguson).

• Foreword: Roy Bailey; Social Work's Radical Kernel: situating Bailey and Brake within social work's 'contested' history ~ Michael Lavalette; Part one: 'Radical social work' the fire last time: 'Case Con': the fire last time ~ Jeremy Weinstein; Radical social work and British social work education in the 1970s ~ Chris Jones; Organising for social change: community development work and collective action ~ Sarah Banks; Part two: Social work and oppression: Radical social work and service users: a crucial connection ~ Peter Beresford; Social work and women's oppression ~ Laura Penketh; The jester's joke: what happened to anti-racism? ~ Charlotte Williams; Radical social work and LGBT liberation ~ Laura Miles; Social work: why class (still) matters - Iain Ferguson; Part three: Contested futures: Is radical social work still possible? ~ Mary Langan; "It's alright for you to talk": commitment and the struggle for social justice ~ Michael Lavalette; Radical social work and international social work ~ Vassilis Ioakimidis; Radical social work's future possibilities ~ Mark Baldwin.

"The contributors to this incisive and compelling book provide a review of the radical social work heritage and assess its contemporary significance and future prospects. It should be read widely by those concerned about the state of social work and committed to seeking its emancipatory potential." John Harris, University of Warwick