Abstracts
Abstract
Drawing from Michael Rothberg’s (2019) concept of the “implicated subject,” this paper examines Canadian social work’s implication in settler colonialism from past to present through its role in Indigenous child removal from the Indian Residential Schools to the Sixties Scoop and contemporary child welfare. The “implicated subject” untangles social work from dominant discourses that position social workers as morally superior, innocent, and good, which prevents practitioners from seeing how their professional role perpetuates unintentional harm towards service-users. A practice of non-innocence is proposed, which centres the development of a critical consciousness among social workers regarding the profession’s implication in historical and contemporary harm towards Indigenous Peoples (and other marginalized populations) by way of settler colonial practices. This awareness positions practitioners as political actors with a responsibility to engage in political action dedicated towards social justice.
Keywords:
- Implication,
- implicated subjects,
- settler colonialism,
- social work practice,
- innocence/non-innocence
Résumé
S’appuyant sur le concept de « sujet impliqué » de Michael Rothberg (2019), cet article examine l’implication du travail social canadien dans le colonialisme de peuplement du passé au présent à travers son rôle dans le retrait des enfants autochtones des pensionnats indiens jusqu’à la rafle des années 1960, jusqu’au bien-être de l’enfance contemporaine. Le « sujet impliqué » démêle le travail social des discours dominants qui positionnent les travailleurs sociaux comme moralement supérieurs, innocents et bons, ce qui empêche les praticiens de voir comment leur rôle professionnel perpétue un préjudice involontaire envers les utilisateurs des services. Une pratique de non-innocence est proposée, qui centre le développement d’une conscience critique parmi les travailleurs sociaux concernant l’implication de la profession dans les dommages historiques et contemporains causés aux peuples autochtones (et autres populations marginalisées) par le biais de pratiques coloniales. Cette prise de conscience positionne les praticiens comme des acteurs politiques ayant la responsabilité de s’engager dans une action politique dédiée à la justice sociale.
Mots-clés :
- Implication,
- sujets impliqués,
- le colonialisme de peuplement,
- pratique du travail social,
- innocence/non-innocence
Appendices
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