Modernity, Postmodernity and Social Work

Abstract

For so long in search of a common base, there are early signs that social work's intellectual outlook is fragmenting. The unity that was once sought in both theory and practice as well as policy and organziation is being abandoned. A child of modernity, social work now finds itself in a postmodern world, uncertain whether or not there are any deep and unwavering principles which define the essence of its character and hold it togerther as a cohernt enterprise. The article outlines some of the characteristics of modernity and postmodernity, relating them to the rise of social work, its formation within modern society, and its current condition in what many observers believe is a postmodern world. There are three ‘visions’ within which people look to leam the ’truth‘ of things, including matters of fact and matters of value: those centred in God's word (revelation); those centred in the minds of men and women (reason); and those de-centred and dispersed withing language, meaning and culture (relativism).