Critical theory helps avoid the despair that can arise when only focusing on the individual circumstances of rangatahi because of all the things that are beyond their control. It reminds us that these circumstances have been created by structures and policies, that the unfairness we often see in the lives of rangatahi is real, and that through social action and advocacy we may be able to change that.
Critical theory helps us understand how we can use relationship-based practice (RBP) to create positive change with rangatahi, given their context and the economic and political systems that impact on them (see Context). Critical theory challenges the status quo – it rejects the idea that inequality is acceptable or inevitable, and it rejects the power structures that marginalise, exploit and manipulate (Crotty, 1998). The challenges rangatahi face are often caused by things out of their control. For example, troubles that come from social injustice such as racism, colonisation, discriminatory policies, ethnocentrism, patriarchy, ableism, poverty, social exclusion and violence cannot be fixed by rangatahi just making different decisions or choices (see Māori centred approaches). Critical theories help explain how these issues impact on rangatahi and how kaimahi can provide effective support.
An important idea in critical theory is that context shapes knowledge. This means that our culture, the histories that are part of the places where we live, how we grew up and the things we listen to, all affect how we see the world. Often powerful groups of people control how things are and who gets what, and people with less power do not get heard and their needs are ignored. Critical theories argue that when social systems are unfair like this, they must be changed. The way to do this is to bring attention to the experiences of people who have been excluded. Systems are created by people and so people can change them when everyone’s voice is heard. To learn some more about critical theory, you could explore this article https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcv102.
Social and youth workers have skills and knowledge that help change these systems. For example, youth and social worker codes of ethics say that a key kaimahi role is to reduce social injustice and oppression. Critical theory tells us that community and political action are as important in work with rangatahi as individual support. Critical reflection (that is questioning why and how systems have negative impacts on individuals), advocacy and supporting self- help and action are ways kaimahi can help change oppressive systems.
Three words are often used in critical theory:
When combined with a kaupapa Māori approach, critical theory involves a “power analysis that uses reflective practice and resistance to empower indigenous groups to achieve a just society. In this way it can be a valuable part of our mahi (Eketone, 2019, 80).
Kaupapa Māori theory drew parallels with critical theory because they both shared a view of the social world as divided into two groups; the powerful and the powerless (see Māori centred approaches). Initially, kaupapa Māori thinkers saw a common cause with critical theory of advancing equity and social justice through transformation and structural change (Eketone, 2019; Oranga Tamirki Evidence Centre, 2021, 13). More recently kaupapa Māori scholars have seen a stronger synergy with indigenous thinkers internationally (Eketone, 2019). This change has been important as it moves kaupapa Māori thinking away from Western ideas and in the process, this creates the space for indigenous knowledge and knowing to expand.
Person-centred theory is a good partner for critical theory (see Person-centred theory). The issues rangatahi face are not just personal, individual concerns. Person-centred theory tunes kaimahi into the stories of rangatahi and critical theory helps us see and understand the bigger social processes that impact on rangatahi. Person-centred theory gives kaimahi strategies to help reduce the burdens these social processes create. For example, taking the time to listen to rangatahi experiences and understand the contexts they live in and the circumstances they have had to manage from an early age (see Care ethics). Hearing these stories also helps kaimahi understand how rangatahi see the world, make sense of their experiences and understand the decisions they make. Critical theory helps us find ways of advocating for systems-change.
How do I use these ideas in my mahi?
In our youth agency we support rangatahi to negotiate pathways back to mainstream education. Many of the rangatahi who come to our agency are not given the right social and learning support at school, and after several failed attempts at trying to go back to school they are usually supported to enrol in an alternative education programme. One of our kaimahi who had supported many of the rangatahi on their education pathways, brought an idea to one of our team meetings. She said that she felt it was unfair and unjust that rangatahi often did not make it back into mainstream education no matter how much support we gave them. She said they were not welcomed back to school and that the right social and learning support was not put in place for them, so they drifted again until things got too much, and they were again suspended or stopped attending. They felt shut out because they did not get support for their learning and have access to support to help them with the issues that had led to their suspension. It was easier to either enrol in an alternative education programme or drop out of education completely. While they continued to get support from our agency being able to access appropriate education remained a challenge.
Our kaimahi said that she wanted to try something else and even if we could change things for only a small group of rangatahi it was worth trying. She wanted to advocate with the local secondary schools to take a different approach. She felt that if some of our mahi could happen in the school, we could provide better support for rangatahi as they returned to school. She had been working with a couple of teachers who had a similar idea for supporting rangatahi so we called a meeting to work through the issues and identify solutions. What we wanted to do was to work with the school to find ways to support rangatahi to stay at school; this would mean providing social and learning support and targeting resources to the needs of these rangatahi. We were prepared to work more closely with the school to make this happen, such as spending time at the school and directly supporting the rangatahi and the teachers. It was important for us that we learn from the stories rangatahi told us about feeling unwelcome and overwhelmed in school environments; we wanted to support their return to school, and we wanted to work on the wider issue of rangatahi not being supported to stay in mainstream education. We could use our knowledge and skills to collaborate with school personnel and to advocate for better responses from schools so that all rangatahi who found school environments challenging could be supported in the right way so that they would remain at school and continue their education pathways.
Here are some places to look for more information
- Crotty, M. (1998). The social foundations of social research” Meaning and perspective in the research process. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Australia.
- Eketone, A. (2019). The principles of Māori directed practice and development. Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of Otago, Dunedin.
- Freire P. (1972). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Penguin, Harmondsworth.
- Munford, R. & Sanders, J. (2019). Transformative social work practice in community-based organisations. In R. Munford & K. O’Donoghue (Eds) New theories for social work Practice: Ethical practice for working with individuals, families and communities. Jessica Kingsley, London.
- Munford, R. & Sanders, J. (2020). Transformative practice: social work practice with vulnerable young people. European Journal of Social Work, https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2020.1819205
- Payne, M. (2017). Applying critical social work theory in practice. Zeszyty Pracy Socjalnej, 22, 3, 169–193.
We thank the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for funding the research that created this resource (MAUX2006).
This resource was developed by Professor Jackie Sanders. It was refined with input from Donna MacNicol, Te Aroha Noa Community Services, Justina Webster, Dr Linda Liebenberg, Professor Robyn Munford, Dr Jayne Mercier, Davinia Abbott and the team at Dingwall Trust Launch Programme.
Citation: Sanders, J. with MacNicol, D., Webster, J., Munford, R. Liebenberg, L., Mercier, J., Abbott, D. and the Dingwall Trust Launch Team. (2023). Critical theory. Relational Resources for Change, https://youthsay.co.nz/rbp-theories/critical-theory/
CC BY-NC-ND Licensed using Creative Commons Licensing. Relational Resources for Change Project. You are welcome to use this resource individually, in your teams and in supervision/coaching/critical reflection, you should acknowledge the source using the above citation. You may not change this document, use it to develop your own external training, or for commercial purposes (e.g by charging a fee).
