Transforming the Field : Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppression Perspectives for the Human Service Practicum

This text focuses on field education in social work. It provides a framework and directions for responding to issues relating to racism and oppression. It also examines how power is embedded in every facet of field education from the allocation of resources to the commitment of those engaged in fieldwork. Although focusing on social work, it relates directly to other disciplines where field work is part of the education requirement. The challenge within social work is to have an understanding of how racism and oppression manifests within the system and then take this and address it in a meaningful manner. Insight is given to the ways in which power and dominance are sustained. Again and again the difficulty of working towards an anti-racist and anti-oppressive system is discussed as achieving this goal requires energy, commitment, and support.