Theorizing the City: Exploring Social Work's Histories of Urban Praxis

Background:

The origins of social work in the United States are inherently tied to the trajectory of urbanization, although these joint histories are rarely acknowledged by the field. The beginning of formal social work the United States is most frequently identified with the proliferation of settlement houses during the progressive era. This same period saw the rise of urban social sciences and urban sociology, although the settlement house movement is rarely acknowledged in this history. Although settlement house workers were not housed within the academy, they engaged in urban scholarship and methodological techniques such as mapping, informing their reform efforts and laying the foundation for urban studies.

Methods:

This paper will trace the histories of early social workers in Chicago and their roles in theorizing, and subsequently shaping, “the city.” Settlement house archives from across the Chicago region will be analyzed to identify instances of urban theorization, as well as the papers of Chicago social workers who played prominent roles in urban theorization, such as Florence Kelley of the Hull House and Ida B. Wells-Barnett of the Negro Fellowship League. These first-hand accounts will be weaved together with additional works by socio-historical scholars that explore the early intersections of social work, urban theory, and urban practice.

Findings:

Although not categorized as “theory,” the earliest social workers were engaged in urban theorization through their direct engagement, reform efforts, and advocacy writing. This reflects an early urban praxis that is inherent and unique to social work, as compared to urban social sciences. Social work scholarship simultaneously aligned with and informed the later efforts of urban sociology, such as the W.E.B Du Bois’ and Ernest Burgess’ use of mapping, while also charting a distinct lineage of urban theory and conceptualization in contrast to more mainstream sociological concepts. For instance, Florence Kelley’s writing takes on a distinct reformist tenor as compared to sociology, while Ida B. Wells-Barnett aptly describes how racial terror segregates and shapes space, an immensely important insight for urban environments. Importantly, these findings highlight the epistemological and practical tensions that exist within social work and between adjacent disciplines that remain present today – in urban studies and beyond.

Conclusion/Implications:

At present, social work does little to recognize its direct connection with the history of urbanization and the role of early social workers in developing and informing urban theorization. Compared with other urban social sciences, social work’s urban theorization is especially unique, as it is indicative of urban praxis – theorizing the city to inform action and further theorization informed by such action. In alignment with these historical foundations, it is important that the field of social work strives to more intentionally fold an urban theoretical lens into practice and scholarship. In particular, embedding a critical urban theory framework into social work offers the broader field a novel lens through which to understand itself and its role in propelling social change, and potentially may enable social work to better envision how it may contribute to new, transformative, and liberatory futures.