ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests an approach towards theorising such practice, taking anti-oppressive practice (AOP) to be ‘a form of social work practice which addresses social divisions and structural inequalities in the work that is done with people whether they be users or workers. AOP aims to provide more appropriate and sensitive services by responding to people’s needs regardless of their social status. The chapter highlights the importance of language and of a particular way of using language – conversation – to construct meaning. It proposes that a conception of practice grounded in a theory of dialogic understanding may help practitioners and educators to frame a more adequate response to issues of oppression and inequality. The social construction of meaning comes to the fore in the idea of the hermeneutic conversation, which emphasises both the significance of each of the participant’s contributions to the production of meaning, and the inevitable situatedness of any account.
