• Summary: In the second decade of the 21st century, the development of social work is of vital moment. For the past 30 years the social space within which social workers practise has been reduced via the managerial technologies of the neoliberal era. At a time when the parameters of practice are increasingly constrained it is incumbent upon us to critically reconsider the notion that social work is aligned with social justice and human emancipation. In order to champion the voice of social work it is first necessary to examine what it is that this voice has to say: to reflect upon the possibilities intrinsic to social work.
• Findings: The following discussion examines the emergence of social work as a child of modernity and the heritage of the Enlightenment. It is contended that the development of social work has mirrored contradictions inherent to modernity. It is argued that social work is characterized by a particular interstitial positioning that offers a unique experience of these contradictions. The conflicted nature of practice can generate resilient action for both workers and clients, and potentially facilitates processes of resistance and change, individually and socio-politically.
• Applications: An appreciation of the epistemic possibilities of social work may help inform a commitment to emancipatory practice. Recognition of the unique vision that social work has to offer represents the unrealized potential of the social work project. The development of effective organization and advocacy to this end remains the challenge for theory, practice, and education in the coming decade.