Archive for August 2024

Taiwan has a history of charitable services, particularly charitable relief to support the ‘poor’, founded on Western missionaries. Post the Second World War social work began to be developed, supported by resources provided by the United States and founded on the ‘American style’ of social work practice. Whilst the job title of ‘social worker’ was first mentioned in 1949 in the social services department in Taipei Hospital, government departments did not establish a social work employment system until 1972.

Beneath this sweeping repression aimed at silencing dissent, free speech and critical inquiry lies a series of right-wing policies that threaten to undermine education’s role as a democratic public sphere and its commitment to fostering critical thinking. In this environment, we can expect a sustained assault on critical pedagogy, historical understanding, informed judgment, faculty job security, critical literacy, civic awareness, and any effort to connect learning with civic engagement and democratic values.

Allison Schmitt of the United States celebrates after winning gold in the Women’s 200m Freestyle final on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre…. She earned her Masters’ degree in social work from Arizona State University, which she said has given her the education she needs to not just rely on her own experiences to make a macro change.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick speaks at a 2024 campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Waco, Texas…. In Texas now, criticizing the lieutenant governor can get professors investigated and formally censured. That’s what happened to opioid expert and Texas A&M professor Joy Alonzo after she gave a speech where she remarked on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s handling of the opioid crisis. Unsurprisingly, Patrick is also at the forefront of Texas’ attempt to eliminate tenure, which is another way red states seek to control public universities.