Unsettling Feminism in Social Work: Toward an Indigenous Decolonial Feminism

Abstract

Feminism and social work alike are complicit in historic colonial projects and further this agenda into the present day through the perpetuation of white supremacy. As social work moves to reckon with historic harms and decolonial feminist discourse proliferates, it remains to be seen how feminist social work will acknowledge or account for the legacy of systemic violence against Indigenous peoples and make meaningful changes going forward. The combination of close reading of the literature and the embodiment of experiential and cultural knowledge informs the development of the Indigenous decolonial feminist framework. Decolonial feminism in social work offers a pathway for Indigenous sovereignty – a collective liberation created and defined by Indigenous peoples for Indigenous peoples. Indigenous decolonial feminism requires a commitment to achieve social justice that is in direct alignment with the overall aim of social work. The present work will delineate an Indigenous decolonial feminism, situate this work within the current feminist social work landscape, and call for the field to engage in critical strategizing for social change and embodied decolonization.