Decolonizing social work: Lessons for social work practice and education from the Jamaican Diaspora transnational movement

Social work practice has become increasingly concerned with decolonization and anti-oppressive approaches. Both terms can be ambiguous and practice examples are often difficult to identify. This article describes the Jamaican Diaspora movement and its use of transnational communities to broker power and resist the status quo, serving as examples of decolonial and anti-oppressive orientations. The authors trace the evolution of the Diaspora as a transnational movement, and discuss how centering interdependence and community can be used to move practice toward decolonization. Implications for social work practice and education are discussed, particularly as it relates to serving diverse racial/ethnic communities.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
International Social Work
Published
2025-02-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728251319491
Primary Topic
Caribbean history, culture, and politics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Decolonizing social work: Lessons for social work practice and education from the Jamaican Diaspora transnational movement

Kristin M. Murphy, Natallie Gentles-Gibbs
International Social Work
Caribbean history, culture, and politics
article

Decolonizing social work: Lessons for social work practice and education from the Jamaican Diaspora transnational movement

Kristin M. Murphy, Natallie Gentles-Gibbs
article en

Abstract

Social work practice has become increasingly concerned with decolonization and anti-oppressive approaches. Both terms can be ambiguous and practice examples are often difficult to identify. This article describes the Jamaican Diaspora movement and its use of transnational communities to broker power and resist the status quo, serving as examples of decolonial and anti-oppressive orientations. The authors trace the evolution of the Diaspora as a transnational movement, and discuss how centering interdependence and community can be used to move practice toward decolonization. Implications for social work practice and education are discussed, particularly as it relates to serving diverse racial/ethnic communities.

International Social WorkVol. 68(4)
Stockton University (US), University of Southern Maine (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 97%
Caribbean history, culture, and politics
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.