Nordic Social Work Research

In the Nordic countries, little attention has been paid to racism, and anti-racist social work has largely been absent. Social problems are often understood and explained based on cultural and individual conditions. In contrast, power relations and structural factors such as the economy, social inequalities, and class have largely been missing.

However, there is a high need and call for increased attention to racism and racialisation that must be understood in a social and historical context. Colonialism and postcolonialism play a central role in understanding racism today. Current social context and public debate climate are also crucial for understanding racism. Over the past ten years, the social debate in many countries, including the Nordic ones, has become more legitimate to endorse far-right views. We are witnessing a normalisation and mainstreaming of right-wing radical ideas, mainly through right-wing populist parties. Against this backdrop, social work faces changing times and increased racialised challenges.

Social workers are, through their mandate, committed to fighting racism and racialised practices. Antiracist social work has equality at all levels of society as its goal. Therefore, there is a high need for increased awareness regarding promoting antiracism in social work, where practice, teaching, and research join efforts to combat racism and discrimination actively.

This special issue invites contributions from social work scholars and educators working to highlight racialised practices in social work contexts and how to promote antiracist social work to enable social change and social justice. Here are some examples of the kinds of contributions we will be looking for:

• Institutional racism in social work contexts
• Development of antiracist social work practices
• Racialised minorities experience with racism and discrimination in social work contexts
• Teaching antiracist social work
• Indigenous and decolonised social work knowledge and practice

Please submit abstracts via email to the guest editors, and full papers online via Nordic Social Work Research's online submission system.

The submitted abstract should be 300 words and should include the following:

• Background/Aim
• Theory
• Method
• Preliminary findings
• Conclusion

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article