Participant observation of Women's International League of Peace and Freedom

Project (M.S.W., Social Work)--California State University, Sacramento, 2011.Social work has often been accused of reinforcing the status quo, and to an extent, this statement contains some truth. Social work, as a profession, is rooted in opposing oppression and fighting for social justice and economic equity. On the other hand, social work has tried to maintain a sense of professionalism and assist clients in dealing with the systems they encounter. The challenge, or problem, for current day social workers is whether there is a place for politics, or radical social work. Can social workers be effective without engaging in the systems that currently affect and challenge their clients? The research project design for this project was participant observation and data for this project was collected during the researcher's observation of and participation in the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom, as well as archival information available to the researcher from the national and local websites. Participant observation research uses a variety of methods and techniques to collect data. Some of these methods include observation, document analysis, and partipation with self-analysis. By directly\ud participating in the organization, this researcher was able to decrease the extent in which the natural setting was disturbed and it allowed the researcher to observe the organization's norms and organizational tactics and strategies. Research of the archival information led this researcher to conclude that while the agency does engage in radical social work tactics and strategies, it needs to focus on its organizational structure and membership in order to be truly effective. Conclusions from this project are that social workers can and should engage in a radical social work practice and to a certain extent that all social work is radical. Lastly, the research showed that the organization utilized a multitude of radical social work tactics and strategies in order to engage with local governments, as well as its local community.Social Wor