The Rank and File Movement: The Relevance of Radical Social Work Traditions to Modern Social Work Practice

Authors

Leslie Leighninger, State University of New York, Oswego
Robert Knickmeyer, State University of New York, Oswego

Abstract

Social work, like many fields, has sometimes suffered from an inadequate and distorted understanding of its own history. A profession's inattention to its past is an unfortunate thing. As Clark Chambers has noted, the study of social work history provides models for social work practice and yields insights into social processes (31 11-22). Works like Cloward and Piven's Regulating the Poor have demonstrated the rich potential of the social welfare case study for social analyses (4). In addition, examination of goals and motivations of specific social workers in the past have served to further our understanding of professional issues and problems of the present (see for example, 16, 21).

Recommended Citation

Leighninger, Leslie and Knickmeyer, Robert (1976) "The Rank and File Movement: The Relevance of Radical Social Work Traditions to Modern Social Work Practice," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1181
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol4/iss2/2