Skip Navigation



BJSW Advance Access published online on April 11, 2008
British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcn054
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Houston, S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved

Communication, Recognition and Social Work: Aligning the Ethical Theories of Habermas and Honneth

Stan Houston

The author has worked for over twenty years in child and family social work in Belfast as a practitioner and manager. His academic interests lie in applying critical social theory to social work practice. He is currently Senior Lecturer at the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queens University, Belfast

Correspondence to Stan Houston, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, 6 College Park, Belfast BT7 1LP, UK. Email: s.houston{at}qub.ac.uk


  Abstract

The modern world is replete with ethical challenges of Orwellian proportions. The violation of human rights and misrecognition of identities are two of the most pressing examples. In this paper, the ethical theories of Habermas and Honneth are aligned as a way of addressing these specific challenges within social work. It is suggested that these theories are complementary, mutually rectifying and concordant at the meta-ethical level of analysis. The alignment is also justified, pragmatically, through the construction of three hypothetical vignettes demonstrating different kinds of practice dilemmas. The need for egalitarian communication and the imperative to recognize human identity in all its dimensions subsequently emerge as the two foundation stones for ethical deliberation in social work.

Keywords: Ethics, critical social theory, communication, identity


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.