Theory
Epistemological debates in social work and the social sciences must be understood as a problem of Western culture
Critical Race Theory
Concerned with the theory of Knowledge; investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge
Epistemology
The idea that research and the knowledge it generates cannot be ahistorical, apolitical and disembodied
Feminist Theories
A belief that the world and the universe were deterministic -- they operated by laws of cause and effect that we could discern if we applied the unique approach of the scientific method
Positivism
Dominant groups are poorly equipped to identify oppressive features of their own beliefs and practices
Standpoint Theory (feminist theoretical perspective)
Emphasizes knowledge, including empirical knowledge, based in experience. Some forms are realist while others draw more heavily from social constructionist ideas
Concerned with determining which ideas are useful in achieving some social good; value-based perspective
Pragmatism
mind-independent reality; Distinguishes between the intransitive nature of reality and the transitive nature of our knowledge of it
Realism
Belongs to the family of critical postmodern theory, including neo-Marxism focusing on class, neo-feminism addressing gender, and queer theory, lines of thinking that are characterized by a refusal of positivism, deconstruction of social constructions, a rejection of totalizing categories, and attention to intersectionality
Critical Race Theory
What theory considers how power and politics are inherent in all of science—its institutions, practices, and products
Post-Positivism
Incorporates the political and social aspects of science, knowledge, and who benefits from the knowledge-generating activity
Critical Realism
Perceptions of things differ as mediated by culture, history, and languages; science is not apolitical, asocial, or value-free in its actual practice