Social Work Revisited

About the Book

Social Work Revisited by Brij Mohan Social Work Revisited seeks to ontologize the culture of a profession deeply rooted in altruistic notions of the human condition and social change. As a sequel to Unification of Social Work (Mohan 1999), this book examines contemporary practicism and paradigms, their conflicts and contradictions. The authorial thrust is to unravel an institutional culture of banality that promotes mediocrity at the expense of benign hope. Brij Mohan historializes the crisis of social work and warns: If social work is to serve as the torchbearer of human freedom, it must be saved from its own trappings. A therapeutic culture, Brij Mohan contends, runs counter to the ideals of a civil society. SWR critiques the pervasive essentialism of a logocentric milieu and signifies the praxis of knowledge that may transform a decadent system. Theorizing truth about the pain of alienation in an otherwise noble setting is a daunting challenge. Brij Mohan is at his best when he accepts such challenges. With this book Brij Mohan has continued his tradition of examining existing systems of thought and, through keen intellectual reasoning and the application of the principles of scientific inquiry, leading the reader to new intellection. In the current work, Mohan examines the profession from a philosophical and scientific perspective and, in the process, deconsecrates many of our beliefs previously perceived as sacrosanct. Arguing that none of the existing social work models qualify as paradigms, or whole systems of thought, he describes social work as a parasitic discipline in the academic world. Such a process of deconstruction is absolutely essential if social work academicians are to succeed in establishing an authentic foundation for the profession's future. Hence, through this book Mohan has made a singular epistemic contribution to the profession and laid the groundwork for developing”praxis of hope." Frank B. Raymond III, Ph.D, Dean College of Social Work, University of South Carolina Brij Mohan’s philosophical insight and analysis—a rare vision and approach in the contemporary culture—may be likened to those of Habermas’ and Sartre’s. An unabashed humanist, Brij Mohan sees the redemption of modernity only through a “post-material” uplift of the hopeless human condition. This thrust places social sciences in a challenging context; it posits both theory and practice in a symbiotic whole that is currently nonexistent. His emphasis on liberatory practice as an end of itself is an epistemologically sound and pragmatic vision to universalize knowledge and human freedom. Keen and scholarly practitioners, educators, and researchers in search of spotlights on an otherwise bleak frontier will find Social Work Revisited very helpful and thought provoking. One may and may not agree with him but none can afford to overlook his point of view, his unwavering commitment to social justice, and his deep devotion to social work. S. Zafar Hasan and John W. Landon Professors Emeriti, University of Kentucky Professor Mohan has finally and courageously revealed social work for what it is: “a paradox turned perversion.” It is rare for an expose and terminal judgement to be delivered with such philosophic apercu but Mohan has succeeded in farming the field by his criticisms…This single slim volume will by itself either transform the field or bury it. Let social work take careful notice: a field that has such disregard for its own ethical premises loses its professional birthright. Social Work Revisited will be remembered as a major accomplishment in the intellectual analysis of the welfare state’s occupations. It will stand too as a profound rebuke to the hypocrisy of America’s high culture. William M. Epstein, Professor of Social Work University of Nevada, Las Vegas About the Author Brij Mohan, Professor of Social Work and Director, Doctoral Program, is former D

About the Author

Brij Mohan, Professor of Social Work and Director, Doctoral Program, is former Dean of the LSU School of Social Work. His most recent books include Unification of Social Work, Democracies of Unfreedom, and Eclipse of Freedom (Praeger, 1999; 1996; 1993). He is founding Editor-in-Chief of New Global Development: Journal of International and Comparative Social Welfare. He is currently working on his fifth trilogy on The Hermeneutics of Hope. (e: mohan.b@att.net, swmoha@lsu.edu )