Deconstructing Social Work in Africa
An autoethnographic approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v20i1.707Keywords:
social work, deconstruction, autoethnography, indigenous knowledge, AfricaAbstract
In the dominant debate, dialogue and literature, there is an assumption that Africa had no form of social work before colonisation. In this article, we deal with the historical question pertaining to the existence of social work in Africa, and deconstruct the term ‘social work’, its origin and meaning in an African context. We employ an autoethnographic approach to describe the knowledge and skills known as social work in African communities using Indigenous Knowledge. We conclude that the Western epistemological paradigm facilitated the idea that social work was non-existent in the pre-colonial era, which distorted and distracted knowledge and skills construction in post-modernism theory and practice
References
Adams, T. E., Jones, S. H., Jones, S. L. H. & Ellis, C. (2015). Autoethnography. Oxford. University Press.
Anderson, L. (2006). Analytic autoethnography. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 35(4), 373-395. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241605280449
Avendal, C. (2011). Social work in Ghana: Engaging traditional actors in professional practices. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 6(2), 106-124. https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v6i2.70
Bundy, C. (1992). Development and inequality in historical perspective. In: Schire, R. (Ed.), Wealth or poverty? Critical choices for South Africa. Oxford University Press.
Bremner, R. H. (1956). From the depths: The discovery of poverty in the United States. New York University Press.
Chitereka, C. (2009). Social work in a developing continent: The case of Africa. Advances in Social Work, 10(2), 144-156. https://doi.org/10.18060/223
Cordeiro‐Rodrigues, L. & Agada, A. (2022). African philosophy of religion: Concepts of God, ancestors, and the problem of evil. Philosophy Compass, 17(8), e12864. https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12864
Cousins, B. (2009, March 9-10). Potential and pitfalls of ‘communal’land tenure reform: Experience in Africa and implications for South Africa [Conference presentation]. World Bank Conference on Land Governance in Support of the MDGs: Responding to New Challenges, Washington D.C., USA.
Couser, G. T. (1997). Recovering bodies: Illness, disability, and life writing. University of Wisconsin Press.
Darkwa, O.K. (1999). Continuing social work education in an electronic age: The opportunities and challenges facing social work education in Ghana. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 2(1), 38-43.
Elizabeth, A. (2004). From charity to social work: Mary E Richmond: The Creation of American Profession. University of Illinois Press.
Ellis, C. (2009). Telling tales on neighbors: Ethics in two voices. International Review of Qualitative Research, 2(1), 3-28. https://doi.org/10.1525/irqr.2009.2.1.3
Engelund, S. R. (2013). Salvation and social work: Conversions and charity among Pentecostal Christians in Los Angeles [Master's thesis]. University of Oslo. http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-37799
Goodall, B. H. L. (2001). Writing the new ethnography. AltaMira.
Gray, M., Kreitzer, L. & Mupedziswa, R. (2014). The enduring relevance of indigenisation in African social work: A critical reflection on ASWEA's legacy. Ethics and Social Welfare, 8(2), 101-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2014.895397
Green, M. H. (2008). Making women's medicine masculine: The rise of male authority in pre-modern gynaecology. OUP Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199211494.001.0001
Fraser, N. (2013). Women, welfare and the politics of need interpretation. In Lassman, P. (Ed.), Politics and social theory (1st ed., pp. 104-122). Routledge.
Hall, R. E. (2005). Eurocentrism in Social Work Education: From Race to Identity Across the Lifespan as Biracial Alternative. Journal of Social Work, 5(1), 101-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017305051238
Harms-Smith, L. & Turton, Y. (2023). "5: Colonial and apartheid South Africa: Social work complicity and resistance". In Ioakimidis, V. & Wyllie, A. (Eds.), Social Work’s Histories of Complicity and Resistance (pp. 73-94). Policy Press. https://doi.org/10.1332/policypress/9781447364276.003.0005
Harms Smith, L. & Rasool, S. (2020). Deep Transformation toward Decoloniality in Social Work: Themes for Change in a Social Work Higher Education Program. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 31(2), 144–164.
Healy, L. M. & Link, R. J. (Eds.) (2011). Handbook of international social work: Human rights, development, and the global profession. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333619.001.0001
Holman-Jones, S. (2005). Autoethnography: Making the personal political. In Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp.763-791). Sage.
Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. Routledge.
Ibrahima, A. B. & Mattaini, M. A. (2019). Social work in Africa: Decolonizing methodologies and approaches. International Social Work, 62(2), 799-813. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872817742702
Iliffe, J. (1987). The African poor: A history. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511584121
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) & International Association of Schools of Social Work (2014, July). Global definition of social work. https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work/
International Federation of Social Workers – Africa (2024). Our members: IFSW Africa. https://www.ifsw.org/regions/africa/members/
Index Mundi (2020). Population below poverty line – Africa. https://www.indexmundi.com/map/?v=69&r=af&l=en
Jaya, P. S. (2011). Themes of Identity: An Auto-Ethnographical Exploration. The Qualitative Report, 16(3), 745-763. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ926324.pdf
John, E. O. (2014). Colonialism in Africa and Matters Arising-Modern Interpretations, Implications and the Challenge for Socio-Political and Economic Development in Africa. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(18), 19-30.
Kariuki, C. (2015). The determinants of foreign direct investment in the African Union. Journal of Economics, Business and Management, 3(3), 346-351. https://doi.org/10.7763/JOEBM.2015.V3.207
Kaseke, E. (1991). Social work practice in Zimbabwe. Journal of Social Development in Africa, 6(1), 33-45. https://pdfproc.lib.msu.edu/?file=/DMC/Afican%20Journals/pdfs/social%20development/vol6no1/jsda006001007.pdf.
Kaseke, E. (2014). The Handbook of International Social Work. Ethics and Social Welfare, 8(2), 211–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2014.896165
Kaseke, E. (1997). A situational Analysis of Social Welfare Services in Swaziland. A paper presented at the Social Welfare Stakeholder’s Meeting, Nhlangano.
Keller, E. F. (1995). Reflections on gender and science. Yale University Press.
Kreitzer, B. (2004). Reforming Mary: Changing Images of the Virgin Mary in Lutheran Sermons of the Sixteenth Century. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/019516654X.001.0001
Lymbery, M. (2005). Social Work with Older People. Sage.
Lester, A. (1996). From colonization to democracy: A new historical geography of South Africa. Taurus.
Lerner, G. (1976). The majority finds its past. Current History, 70(416), 193-231. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45313843
Luwangula, R., Twikirize, J. M., Twesigye, J. & Kitimbo, S. (2019). Culturally responsive social work practice in Uganda: A review of selected innovative and indigenous models. In Twikirize, J. M. & Spitzer, H. (Eds.), Social Work Practice in Africa: Indigenous and Innovative Approaches (pp.125-144). Fountain Publishers. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2tp73vt.14
Mabundza, L. (2021). Tracing the origins of social welfare and social work in Swaziland (Eswatini). In Noyoo, N. (Ed.), Social Welfare and Social Work in Southern Africa (1st ed., pp. 219–236). African Sun Media. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1smjn9r.20
Mabuza, N. & Mamba, S. F. (2022). Food insecurity, food insecurity determinants and coping strategies in the urban space–The experience of low income households of Msunduza in Mbabane. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 6(1), 100271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2022.100271
Mangaliso, M. P. (2001). Building competitive advantage from Ubuntu: Management lessons from South Africa. Academy of Management Perspectives, 15(3), 23-33. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2001.5229453
Mbele, B., Makhaba, L., Nzima, D., Hlongwane, M., Thwala, J., Edwards, D., Sibiya, M. & Edwards, S. (2015). An experiential investigation into the phenomenon of respect in Zulu culture. Indilinga African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, 14(1), 87-102. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC174402
Mkhonza, S. T. & Kanduza, A. M. (Eds.) (2003). Issues in the Economy and Politics of Swaziland since 1968. Kwaluseni, Eswatini: Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa Swaziland Chapter, University of Swaziland. https://www.academia.edu/83444320/Issues_in_the_Economy_and_Politics_of_Swaziland_since_1968
Mota, M. T. (2009). The role of folktales in building personality: The case of the Lunda-cokwe people of Angola [Doctoral dissertation]. University of South Africa. Pretoria, RSA. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4198
Mpofu, E., Peltzer, K., Bojuwoye, O. & Mpofu, E. (2011). Indigenous healing practices in sub-Saharan Africa. In Mpofu, E. (Ed.), Counseling people of African ancestry (pp.3-21). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511977350.004
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o (1986). Decolonising the mind: The politics of language in African literature. Zimbabwe Publishing House.
Nichols, J. (1973). The Silent Majority. Australian Social Work, 26 (4), 35-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/03124077308549402
Nukunya, G. K. (1994). Insider anthropology: The case of the Anlo Ewe. Etnofoor, (1), 24-40.
Ornellas, A., Spolander, G. & Engelbrecht, L. K. (2018). The global social work definition: Ontology, implications and challenges. Journal of Social Work, 18(2), 222-240. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017316654606
Patel, L. (2005). Social welfare and social development. Oxford University Press.
Perumal, N., Pillay, R., Zimba, Z. F., Sithole, M., Van der Westhuizen, M., Khosa, P., Nomngcoyiya, T., Mokone, M. & September, U. (2021). Autoethnographic view of South African social work educators during the COVID-19 pandemic: Highlighting social (in) justice. Social Work, 57(4), 393-406. https://doi.org/10.15270/52-2-964
Rani, M. (2022). Linguistic Decolonization in Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Decolonizing the Mind. Asian Journal of Basic Science & Research, 4(4), 106-109. https://doi.org/10.38177/AJBSR.2022.4411
Rankopo, M.J. & Osei-Hwedie, K. (2011). Globalization and Culturally Relevant Social Work: African Perspectives on Indigenization. International Social Work 54(1): 137-147. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728103723
Reisch, M. & Andrews, J. (2002). The road not taken: A history of radical social work in the United States (1st ed.) London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315800646
Reisigl, M. (2017). The discourse-historical approach. In The Routledge handbook of critical discourse studies (pp. 44-59). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315739342-4
Rodgers, D. T. (1998). Atlantic crossings: Social politics in a progressive age. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674042827
Rosser, S. V. (2013). Teaching the majority. In Sanders, J., Koch,, J., Urso, J. (Eds.), Gender Equity Sources and Resources for Education Students (1st ed., pp. 42-43). Routledge.
Royle, N. (2000). What is Deconstruction? In Royle, N. (Ed.), Deconstructions. Palgrave. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-06095-2_1
Schiele, J. H. (1996). Afrocentricity: An emerging paradigm in social work practice. Social Work, 41(3), 284-294. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/41.3.284
Sewpaul, V. (2013). Review of the international definition of social work. Social work/Maatskaplike werk, 49(2), 10-14. https://doi.org/10.15270/49-2-69
Sharma, S. (2019). Decolonizing the mind: The politics of language, culture and identity. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 6(2), 225-227.
Simon, B. L. (1994). The empowerment tradition in American social work: A history. Columbia University Press.
Smith, L. (2014). Historiography of South African social work: Challenging dominant discourses. Social Work, 50(2), 305-331. https://doi.org/10.15270/50-2-401
Shokane, A. L. & Masoga, M. A. (2019). Social work as protest: Conversations with selected first black social work women in South Africa. Critical and Radical Social Work, 7(3), 435-445. https://doi.org/10.1332/204986019X15695497335752
Stuart, P. H. (2013, June 11). Encyclopedia of social work: Social work profession: History. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.623
Spitzer, H. (2014). Social work in African contexts: A cross-cultural reflection on theory and practice. In Spitzer, H., Twikirize, J. M. & Wairire, G. G. (Eds.), Professional Social Work in East Africa: Towards Social Development, Poverty Reduction and Gender Equality (pp. 15-28). Fountain Publishers.
Tanga, P. T. (2013). The challenges of social work field training in Lesotho. Social work education, 32(2), 157-178. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2012.741578
Twikirize, M. & Spitzer, H. (Eds.) (2019). Social work practice in Africa: Indigenous and innovative approaches. African Books Collective. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2tp73vt
Timpson, W., Ndura, E. & Bangayimbaga, A. (2014). Conflict, reconciliation and peace education: Moving Burundi toward a sustainable future. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203796016
Tedam, P. (2013). What can social workers learn from African proverbs? The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 12(1),6-21. https://doi.org/10.1921/jpts.v12i1.283
Worden, N. (2008). The making of modern South Africa. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Company.
Yiman, A. (1990). Social development in Africa 1950-1985. Aldershot.
Zawadzki, M. & Jensen, T. (2020). Bullying and the neoliberal university: A co-authored autoethnography. Management Learning, 51(4), 398-413. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507620920532
Zeleza, P. T. (2006). The inventions of African identities and languages: The discursive and developmental implications.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zibonele Zimba, Nolwazi Shongwe, Sinenhlanhla Nyoni
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.