Abstract
This article outlines how the current rise in right-wing populism poses a threat to social work’s humanist positioning within western democracy and what strategies are needed to restore faith in the liberal democratic institutions that are committed to human rights and a polity that provides for all its citizens despite their diversity and often opposing interests. Using the example of the rise of ethnic-nationalist populism in the twentieth century in Europe, we forget at our peril how easily human rights can be both compromised and undermined. Today’s social works can learn from social work’s role in supporting the ethnic practices of Nazi Germany and be forewarned. The article highlights how a culture of hyper-productivity, anti-humanist populism, and authoritarian welfare can erode the human rights framework underpinning social work. By focussing on contemporary social work’s more progressive stance with its commitment to anti-oppressive practice, its linkages with civil society and community activism, and its commitment to carve out a prominent political space for advancing a human rights agenda, we hope to learn lessons from the past and act collectively to protect and return confidence to a universal human rights agenda for a progressive social work practice.
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Notes
A point in case is Alice Salomon’s step down from the committee of the Confederation of German Women’s Associations (Bund Deutscher Frauenvereine) in 1920 due to anti-Semitic propaganda during the election of the confederation’s chairperson in that year and her loss to a less qualified candidate.
The World Values Survey, Wave 3 and Wave 5, cited by Foe and Mounk (2016; 2017) suggests that between 1995 and 2010, support for authoritarian solutions grew from below 20% to around 35% among upper income US citizen. Whereas more than 75% of Australians born in the 1930s believe that it is essential to live in a democracy, less than 40% of Australians born in the 1980s believe for that to be the case (Foe and Mounk 2017).
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Noble, C., Ottmann, G. Nationalist Populism and Social Work. J. Hum. Rights Soc. Work 3, 112–120 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-018-0066-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-018-0066-3