Confronting Epistemic Injustice in Everyday Social Work Practice

Across all levels of social work practice – from micro to mezzo to macro – a good working relationship is essential. Central to this task is the imperative for social workers to attentively listen to and respect the narratives of clients and communities. When lived experiences are ignored, discredited, or silenced, individuals are denied their epistemic status as knowers of their own lives; epistemic injustice undermines the very value of human dignity. This chapter elaborates how epistemic injustice manifests in social work practice with individuals, families, and communities, drawing on selected examples from both my own and other scholars’ research. In examining turn-by-turn interactions between social workers, individuals, and families, I analyze conversations as they occur in diverse community settings. By illuminating the seemingly mundane and often subtle aspects of everyday practice and by elaborating on community-level examples, this chapter seeks to raise awareness of our profession&s;s susceptibility to and complicity in epistemic injustice. Rather than assuming immunity, we should be vigilant in recognizing and confronting our own enactments where epistemic injustice is perpetuated. By acknowledging the wrongdoings and ethical failures in both past and present practice, we can move toward realizing our profession&s;s potential for epistemic justice.