Abstract for presentation at Global Social Work 2004

The concept of civic literacy can be framed as an obligation of professional practice with particular relevance for social work. The concept suggests professional practice must be able to act effectively with the civic interests that make up the practice community, be able to form both client relationships and development relationships as a response strategies, and undertake forms of scholarship necessary to influence civic practice. Such a capacity raises expectations for a discourse often absent or rendered inert by some tenants of generic practice.
Reclaiming civil society therefore presents a challenge to the legitimacy and practice of social work. The paper argues such claims seek to relocate social work practice into spaces influenced by identity and a strong sense of urgency as various communities seek to establish civic and emancipatory goals that have not been achieved in previous transformative endeavours. These claims challenge generic notions of practice seeking ‘partisan influence’ over the content and accountability of professional practice. As a consequence the curriculum and the organisation of the profession become sites of negotiation foreshadowing possible forms of change, compromise and resistance. Using Jan Fook’s (2002) work on contextual practice the paper discusses how practice based in civic imperatives may be sustained.