Social justice in action: Showcasing the work of doctoral students in social work (Part 2)

After the successful publication of the first issue of this two-part series of the special issue "Social justice in action: Showcasing the work of doctoral students in social work", we are pleased to introduce this second part containing seven manuscripts.As outlined in Part 1, this special issue aims to spotlight the innovative and meaningful work of emerging scholars in social work who actively contribute to reflecting on social justice in diverse and evolving ways.By focusing on future experts, it seeks to highlight perspectives and approaches that respond to today's shifting sociopolitical, economic, and cultural landscapes such as the inequitable impacts of climate change on women, girls (Alston, 2013;Ngcamu, 2023), and Indigenous communities (Fayazi et al., 2020), technology as a mechanism for disrupting or exacerbating exclusion (Stephens, 2024).They also encompass the aggravation of socioeconomic inequality (Patel et al., 2020) and racial disparities (Komeiha et al., 2025;Tai et al., 2021) resulting from responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the overall challenges of advancing social justice within a broader socioeconomic and political climate shaped by capitalism, neoliberalism, and globalization (Guvremont, 2024;Silver, 2014).Over recent decades, these forces have led to major social and political shifts, including a reduced role of the state and weakened social and health services.As a result, social justice has suffered, and various populations' socioeconomic needs have reached unprecedented levels.For example, the systemic attacks on discourses of equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization (EDID) coupled with states clawing back hard-earned rights (e.g., reproductive rights) speak to some of these challenges (Hodge et al., 2024;McEwen & Narayanaswamy, 2023).Today's emerging social work scholars, practitioners, educators, and policymakers are grappling with the consequences of these developments by re-centering the justice mission that defines social work as a profession.Indeed, heightened awareness of the commitments outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, combined with social work's responsibility to advance social justice, calls on the profession to confront challenges directly, name disingenuous actors, and work toward a transformative and forward-moving agenda.Innovative solutions led by individuals, families,