Читать книгу The Sage Handbook of Social Constructionist Practice - Группа авторов - Страница 154

Both social work and social construction value diversity of perspectives and beliefs. For social work, advocating for those who hold marginal views and amplifying silenced voices is necessary in order to move toward a pluralistic, more equitable social order. ‘[S]ocial workers believe that it is important for those who are silenced – for whatever reason – to have a voice. We also tend to believe that those who are marginalized in society have a perspective that is valuable for the rest of us to hear’ (Witkin, 1999, p. 7).

For social constructionists, claims of universalism and transcendent Truth are suspect as they necessarily stem from particular historical, cultural, and social positions (Gergen, 1994). Therefore, such claims must be dislodged and alternative discourses legitimized. These alternative discourses are often associated with groups whose voices have been silenced, ‘marginal to existing practice and dismissed by the hegemonic system of meanings and practices as irrelevant or bad’ (Weedon, 1997, p. 35).