Staff and Students’ Reflections on Broadening Student Perspectives Through Decolonizing Social Work Pedagogical Approach

Abstract

The current crises confronting social work – particularly escalating environmental degradation alongside social crises such as entrenched racism, the erosion of Indigenous rights and cultural knowledge systems, and ongoing epistemic injustice – demand a reimagining of the profession. These crises point to the need to move beyond singular knowledge traditions and engage more meaningfully with diverse epistemologies to respond to complex challenges. While social work classrooms and communities are increasingly characterized by cultural and experiential diversity, this has not always translated into epistemological inclusion. Re-imagination therefore lies in recognizing and engaging this diversity as a source of knowledge, rather than treating it as a problem. The continued adoption of deficit views of non-Western cultures and knowledges resulted in their marginalization, while white Western approaches remain privileged, often reinforcing colonial relations. As a result, there are limited examples of how these approaches are meaningfully expanded or disrupted. Drawing on storytelling, this article presents reflective accounts from staff and students adopting a decolonized curriculum and pedagogical approach that broadened perspectives in social work. It is hoped that this example will inspire others to design subjects and curricula that legitimize students’ diverse knowledges, languages, and lived experiences, contributing to the transformation of social work education and practice.