Creating and applying knowledge for critical social work practice: Reflections on epistemology, research, and evidence-based practice

Abstract

In this article, we explore knowledge creation for critical social work practice. We examine critical realism as a complementary epistemology for research with populations who experience structural inequality. The growing literature on critical realism offers helpful commentary for strengthening anti-oppressive approaches to practice. The site of clinical practice is explored as an underdeveloped location for creating case-specific knowledge that includes consideration of the structural forces that constrain people’s lives. Finally, as advocates for, yet critical commentators on, evidence-based practice (EBP), we promote expanding EBP to address the external hardships and inequalities that individuals and communities routinely face.

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