4/2025 – ERIS Journal – Transformative Intersectional Social Work in Research and Practice

The deadline for submitting full papers from authors is January 31, 2025. Please send the full version of the manuscript to the administrator at journal@socialniprace.cz. You can also direct your questions and comments to the same place.

The deadline for submission of research notes and book reviews is May 31st, 2025.

The publication date of the issue is August 31, 2025.


Anotation

Intersectionality as a theoretical concept and analytical tool underpins principles of social justice through the essential requirement of understanding the dynamics of power and privilege and their intertwined nature in the context of socially constructed identities. The focus of this call for papers is on transformative intersectional social work.

Key aspects of intersectional approaches include understanding how power and domination or discrimination and oppression interact. Central to all approaches is the critique of one-dimensional or additive perspectives on social categories such as gender, disability, class and race, and their respective power relations. Intersectional research and practice adds complexity in two ways. On the one hand, it analyses several interwoven social categories in terms of their relevance for participation or exclusion; on the other hand, it involves a multi-level approach that takes into account the reciprocal effects of social structures, discourses, and identity constructions.

Intersectionality provides tools for social work to explore its own links to systemic racism, white supremacy and institutionalized oppression. As a model, it not only provides analysis for understanding these links but also promotes a direct commitment to transformative social work practice based on critical reflexivity and social analysis, ally-ship with social movements, advocacy, and cultural humility, among others.

Theoretical exploration has so far dominated the discussion of intersectionality in social work, so this special issue will focus on articles that provide new insights into intersectional research, practice and transfer. We welcome:

  • 1.Empirical contributions on intersectional research in social work. These should avoid an exclusively theoretical content. Our understanding of research involves a broad definition that includes examples of transfers to social work practice.

(No pure theoretical contributions are planned. We also think of a broad definition of research and examples in the transfer of research and practice)

  • 2. Contributions on intersectional social work practice and the transfer of intersectional research to this practice. (Examples: Anti-oppressive practice, Anti-Bias approaches or the challenges to specific systems of domination/hegemony, e.g. the caste system in India, situations of indigenous people in Latin America or Roma and Sinti in Eastern Europe.)

Important note: We very much welcome contributions that provide examples of intersectional research and social work practice from diverse contexts. These could involve particular geographical locations, power relations, dependencies, educational aspects and other perspectives that reflect the plurality of the global North and South.

Contributions to ERIS Journal are peer-reviewed, free of charge, and open access.

The editors look forward to hearing from you and receiving your submissions.

Böhler Doris,
FH Vorarlberg, Austria
Korntheuer Annette
Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany
&
Pfaller-Rott Monika
Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany