Social work in South America emerged from a turbulent history marked by colonial exploitation, revolutionary reimagining, and political upheaval. The profession’s journey from the 16th century to today reflects broader struggles for social justice, economic equality, and human dignity across the continent. Understanding this evolution reveals how social workers adapted their practice to address the unique challenges of Latin American societies while breaking free from imported Western models.
Table of Contents
The weight of colonial history
The foundations of South American social welfare were deeply compromised by centuries of colonial rule. Spanish and Portuguese colonizers established rigid hierarchical systems that divided societies along racial and class lines, creating inequalities that persist today. Brazil experienced over 350 years of slavery, making it the largest slave colony in history and the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish the practice in 1888.
The impact of slavery on social development was devastating. An estimated 4.5 million enslaved Africans were brought to Brazil, comprising as much as 30 percent of the population at times. This exploitation wasn’t merely economic-it created entrenched racial hierarchies that systematically devalued human dignity and denied basic rights to millions. The wealth generated during colonial times came from exploitation rather than equitable development, fundamentally undermining the establishment of comprehensive social welfare systems.
These colonial structures delayed social progress in profound ways. Rather than building institutions focused on public welfare, colonial administrations prioritized resource extraction and maintaining control through hierarchical social divisions. Even after abolition, no programs were implemented to help integrate formerly enslaved people into society, leaving them marginalized and excluded from economic opportunities. This abandonment created a cycle of poverty and discrimination that social workers would later struggle to address.
Breaking from Eurocentric models
By the mid-20th century, social workers across South America recognized that imported European and North American frameworks failed to address their unique realities. This realization sparked what became known as the Reconceptualization Movement, a transformation beginning around 1965 that would fundamentally reshape Latin American social work.
The movement emerged from growing frustration with traditional social work approaches that treated poverty and inequality as individual moral failings rather than structural problems. Social workers began questioning the theoretical foundations of their profession, rejecting the idea that simply importing methods from developed nations would solve problems rooted in colonialism, dependency, and exploitation.
The first social work schools in Latin America opened in Chile in 1925, initially following European models. However, by the 1960s, practitioners realized these approaches perpetuated existing power structures rather than challenging them. The Reconceptualization Movement called for social work grounded in Latin American realities, informed by local struggles and committed to structural transformation rather than superficial reform.
Paulo Freire’s transformative influence
Central to this reimagining was Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, whose philosophy profoundly influenced social work practice. Freire introduced the concept of conscientization-the process through which individuals develop critical awareness of their social conditions and take action to transform them. He defined critical consciousness as the ability to intervene in reality to change it, moving beyond passive acceptance of oppression.
Freire’s ideas resonated powerfully in societies where masses of people had been oppressed for centuries. Rather than viewing social welfare as charity dispensed by experts, social workers began facilitating processes of collective reflection and action. Communities were encouraged to analyze their own situations, identify root causes of their struggles, and develop solutions grounded in their lived experiences.
This participatory approach represented a radical departure from traditional social work. Instead of simply providing services, practitioners worked alongside communities to challenge oppressive structures. Social workers learned from Paulo Freire and other intellectuals who participated in Latin American seminars, applying consciousness-raising methodologies in shantytowns, industries, and rural areas. The movement emphasized solidarity, empowerment, and the political nature of social work practice.
Political turbulence and military repression
Just as the Reconceptualization Movement gained momentum, South America descended into an era of brutal military dictatorships. Beginning with Brazil in 1964, continuing with Chile in 1973, and concluding with Argentina in 1976, military coups ended democratic governments and launched decades of authoritarian rule characterized by systematic repression of social movements.
The Brazilian dictatorship lasted 25 years, establishing a model that influenced repression throughout the region. The regime practiced extensive censorship, institutionalized torture, extrajudicial killings, and forced disappearances, with an estimated 434 people confirmed killed or disappeared and 20,000 tortured. Social workers advocating for human rights and social justice found themselves targeted alongside labor organizers, students, and other activists.
Argentina’s military junta proved even more violent. During the “Dirty War” from 1976 to 1983, between 22,000 and 30,000 people were killed or disappeared, including social workers who had aligned themselves with movements for social transformation. The regime hunted down anyone associated with left-wing politics, labor organizing, or grassroots community work-the very activities central to reconceptualized social work practice.
Adapting under authoritarian rule
These dictatorships fundamentally disrupted the Reconceptualization Movement. Many progressive social workers were imprisoned, killed, or forced into exile. Professional schools were purged of radical faculty, and community organizing became extremely dangerous. The movement that had promised to transform social work into a force for liberation was pushed to the margins.
Yet social workers found ways to continue their work, often at great personal risk. Some shifted focus to less overtly political activities while maintaining their commitment to marginalized communities. Others worked through religious organizations or international agencies that provided some protection from state repression. The experience of surviving dictatorship deepened many practitioners’ understanding of how political power shapes social conditions and the importance of defending democratic spaces.
Ongoing struggles for social justice
When military regimes finally collapsed in the 1980s, social workers faced the challenge of rebuilding democratic institutions while addressing deeply entrenched inequality. Economic crises, structural adjustment policies, and neoliberal reforms created new obstacles to social welfare development. The legacy of both colonialism and dictatorship continued to manifest in poverty, racism, and concentrated wealth.
In Brazil, social workers have focused on favelas and marginalized urban communities, advocating for access to education, healthcare, housing, and employment. The country has made significant progress-development policies have lifted 36 million people out of extreme poverty-yet structural inequality persists, rooted in centuries of exploitation.
Argentina has similarly grappled with economic instability and its consequences. Social workers have addressed needs of vulnerable populations including children, the elderly, and those affected by repeated economic crises. The profession has maintained its commitment to human rights, shaped by memories of state violence and ongoing struggles for truth and justice regarding dictatorship-era crimes.
Contemporary social work in South America continues to balance direct service provision with structural advocacy. Practitioners draw on the Reconceptualization Movement’s legacy, maintaining that effective social work must address root causes of inequality rather than merely managing its symptoms. This means engaging with questions of land distribution, racial justice, labor rights, and democratic participation alongside traditional social services.
What do you think? How might understanding colonialism’s lasting impact change approaches to poverty and inequality today? Can social work movements in other regions learn from South America’s experience of reconceptualizing practice to fit local realities?
References
- https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/lasting-influence-portuguese-colonialism-continues-hinder-efforts-improve-public-welfare
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Brazil
- https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/slavery-brazil
- https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/crsw/9/1/article-p3.xml
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02615479.2024.2351408
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_consciousness
- https://socialdialogue.online/sd18/04_article.html
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-labor-and-working-class-history/article/dictatorships-and-the-worlds-of-work-in-the-southern-cone-argentina-brazil-and-chile/E0226D524A696FD2BE01EDC3AB677E34
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_dictatorship_in_Brazil
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War
- https://university.open.ac.uk/ikd/blog/inclusive-innovation-and-development/inclusive-development-south-america-alex-borda-rodriguez
Leave a Reply