Summary

Trans Latina immigrants experience violence and discrimination in their countries of origin and the United States. As a result, many trans Latina immigrants have utilized their individual and collective strengths to resist oppression and generate change in their local and global communities. However, there is limited research on the lived experiences of these generators of change. The current study aimed to explore the meaning that trans Latinas make of their lived experiences as they generate change in the Southern U.S. This study was guided by interpretive phenomenological qualitative analysis and was informed by Latina feminisms. Six trans Latina immigrants from Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas were part of the study. Their testimonios were gathered through multiple semi-structured interviews in Spanish, and data were triangulated using participants’ online posts and videos. Data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three thematic patterns were constructed: (1) “Mi comunidad transgénero tiene muchas necesidades”: Trans Latina immigrants’ struggles; (2) “Me llamo luchadora social”: Being and doing social change; and (3) “Juntas todas”: Strength in caring for each other. Overall, the participants’ lived experiences were linked to their experiences with intersectional violence, discrimination, and struggles at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. However, by building community and caring for each other, the participants overcame these challenges. Additionally, becoming luchadoras sociales and doing social change was informed by their trans, Latina, and immigrant identities. This presentation aims to encourage social work researchers, practitioners, and educators to engage in trans-informed research and practice, advocate for the human rights of this group, and support systemic change that addresses the needs and struggles of the community. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

transgender, immigrants, social action, Southern United States, Chicana feminism, Latina feminism

Summary

This presentation showcases the findings of a groundbreaking book that scrutinizes the political histories of social work, challenging the often-assumed politically neutral and benevolent character of the profession. The presentation critically examines social work’s dual legacy of both resistance and complicity with oppressive and punitive practices, offering a fresh, global perspective that contrasts starkly with conventional narratives.\ Using an international comparative approach, we expose social work's role in politically fraught episodes of recent history. We delve into anti-racist struggles in the US, the impact of colonialism in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and even the profession's involvement in apartheid and Nazi regimes. We critically interrogate whether social workers resisted or complied in these contexts, offering poignant examples such as the assimilation policies towards First Nation children in Australia and Canada, and institutionalization of women and children in Ireland.\ The presentation navigates social work's collective political past while contemplating its future. After three years of intense research, we present an international social work collection that uncovers social work's historical legacies of oppression and complicity, alongside its radicalism and resistance.\ Crucially, we explore how contemporary social work, social services, and state institutions remember and respond to these legacies. Proposals range from public apologies and transformative justice, to selective amnesia and outright denial. By posing and answering provocative questions, our symposium aims to challenge attendees to reflect deeply on the profession's past and consider its future, encouraging a critical re-evaluation of social work's political role and responsibilities.

Keywords (separate with commas)

history, radical, complicity, historiography, legacies, oppressive, colonialism

Summary

At the School of Social Work at Lund University there is a strong tradition of involving service users in education. This tradition has several motives. It relates to a perspective on evidence based social work practice, where evidence-based practice is seen as consisting of three kinds of knowledge: research, professional expertise, and the perspective of the user. The involvement of service users in education also relates to a perspective on the developing of social work knowledge and practice as characterized by unequal power relations between professionals and service users, which means that we, from a democratic perspective and a perscpective on empowerment, must work actively to involve the service user’s perspective and knowledge in the social work education and practice.\ \ The transformation from experience to knowledge is a condition of service user involvement in social work education as well as in social work practice. When the experience of service users is transformed from experience to knowledge the service users become actors and part in the creation of knowledge within social work, with a voice in its own rights. When experience is transformed to knowledge it becomes a source to empowerment that can bridge the gap of power relations. Though it has been questioning whether service users become professionalized when they engage in developing in social work education and practice, and if the authenticity of the experience hold by service users is weakened.In the paper I will develop perspectives related to the transformation from experience to knowledge:What are the differences between experience and knowledge?What does it take to develop experience to knowledge?In which way can experienced knowledge be a part processes of empowerment and democracy.Does the transformation from experience to knowledge change the authenticity of service users experience or does it in fact become a strength.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Experince based knowledge, \ powerrelaltion, empowerment, democrathy, social work education and practice

Summary

This study focuses on how racialized migrants build communities and cultivate collective well-being, using the Photovoice methodology as an anti-racist and decolonial practice. Particularly, this study focuses on the ways in which communities resist systems of oppression while promoting cultural identity and knowledge, which is fundamental in supporting the well-being of racialized migrants. This study repositions racialized migrants as productive disrupters of mainstream narratives, using participatory action research as a tool that can effectively intervene into hegemonic understandings and scholarly traditions. Three themes emerged from the images and stories created: 1) the importance of informal networks and collective action for belonging and resisting systemic discrimination, 2) food, stories, and art as conduits for physical and emotional connection within and between communities, and 3) the need for systemic changes to address language barriers, unemployment, limited access to services, and physical and mental well-being. The findings suggested that organizations that work with migrants should increase opportunities for cultivating social connections with each other in order to engage in collective healing and action. The women underscored the importance of these relationships as newcomers. Additionally, community building and well-being occur through engagement with food, stories, and art as the women expressed creating deep connections within their communities and other communities through sharing their culture. Lastly, there is a need for systemic changes to address barriers that prevented them from leading healthy lives, including the recognition of credentials, translation services, tailored employment services for women, and increasing access to services and mental health support.

Keywords (separate with commas)

racialized migrants, diaspora, community, cultural connection, anti-racism, systemic discrimination, social support, migration, participatory arts-based methods