Common sense as a conceptual tool to reflect on social work’s past, present and future: A short essay marking 100 years of social work education in Chile

Antonio Gramsci’s conceptualisation of common sense helps us to think more critically about dominant ideas within, and beyond, social work. Especially important are his articulations of common sense (senso comune) and good sense (buon senso). Gramsci’s understanding is also rooted in a more encompassing theoretical apparatus in which hegemony and the role of intellectuals are central. Having pointed to the progressive possibilities associated with the shaping of a more Gramscian social work, four alterative social work futures are identified