How does race work in social work education? Everyday racial logics, distinctions and practices in social work qualifying programmes in England.

Morton, JW; Jeyasingham, D; Vindegg, J; Fjeldheim, S

Abstract

This article presents findings from a study which explored the everyday ways race works on social work programmes in England. The study focused on how race was spoken about and conceptualised, how people were categorised and ordered according to race and the social interactions where race was understood by participants to be significant. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight social work lecturers and nineteen black social work students at two universities in England, to explore the following topics: classroom-based and practice learning, assessment and feedback, interactions between students and between students and educators, and university and practice agency cultures. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and the following themes identified: the routine interpellation of black students and communities in terms of absolute cultural differences, black students’ everyday experiences of marginalisation, hostility and othering, and the racialisation of black students in judgements made about their academic and practice performance. The article concludes that social work education must engage more deeply with contemporary theorisations of race and culture, and that social work educators need a reflexive understanding of how notions such as diversity, equality and universal academic standards are put into practice in ways that marginalise and devalue black students.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 30, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jun 21, 2022
• Publication Date: Jun 21, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 25, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 22, 2024
• Journal: The British Journal of Social Work
• Print ISSN: 0045-3102
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-263X
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 552-569
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac120
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac120
• Additional Information: Funders : BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORK: INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND;Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers (FO) Professional scholarship for Social Workers.; Projects : Interim Investigating concepts and experiences of race, racism and cultural difference in social work education in England and Norway.