Michal Livia Krumer-Nevo

Senior Academic

CLASSES

A look at the main critical theories of the 20th century and their relevance and potential applications in social work. Among the theories: Marxism and its relevance to radical social work; Neo-Marxism (Pierre Bourdieu) and its relevance for new public management; Post-structuralism (Foucault) and an analysis of social work as discourse and as a regime of truth; Feminisms, a gender analysis of social problems and feminist activism in social work; Post-Colonialism and critical analysis of multi-cultural social work.  

The basic course is theoretical and offers students a critical analysis of poverty, emphasizing poverty as both a lack of income, limited social opportunities, and a shortage of symbolic capital. The course draws on the work of British scholar and activist Ruth Lister and on the Poverty-Aware Paradigm.

The advanced course focuses on the practical dimensions of poverty-aware practice. Topics include building therapeutic relationships with people living in poverty as a political act; using critical self-reflection to resist Othering; actively realizing social rights; conducting critical home visits; intervening within the real-life contexts of service users; and providing material assistance as an integral part of professional practice.