Working with Non/responsibility of Clients in Social Work: Iris Marion Young’s “Social Connection” Model

Radka Janebova

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the article is to compare the neoliberal model of “individual responsibility” with the “social connection” model and to suggest how the latter can be used in the context of social work. THEORETICAL BASE: It is based on the book Responsibility for Justice by American critical philosopher Iris Marion Young. METHODS: The text is conceived as a theoretical article, which compares two different approaches to responsibility and analogously develops a proposal on how to work with the “social connection” model in the practice of social work. OUTCOMES: The presented proposal is based on the principles of the contextualization of the situation, focusing on the future, responsibilities of all actors in the situation and the requirement of common collective action. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: The text warns social workers against the unreflected use of the idea of individual responsibility and at the same time proposes a concept of responsibility that focuses on the issue of social justice.

Keywords

social work, critique of neoliberalism, Iris Marion Young, responsibilization, social connection

p. 128-145