Does American Social Work Have a Progressive Tradition?

Abstract

Social work authors in the 1950s claimed progressivism as a unique social work "tradition" and set ofvalues, and this historical interpretation has influenced many versions of social work history since that time. Today, other voices in the profession claim various divergent traditions for social work and note that the progressive tradition has waned in the profession. Given these uncertainties, the question of whether social work has or still possesses a progressive tradition is once again revisited, and the current relationship between social work and progressivism is evaluated.