SOCIAL WORK, MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY ORGANISING AND THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY: A FARSIGHTED APPROACH TO THE MARGINALISED
Abstract
In rebuffing a status quo position to social work and community development from using conventional medical model to solving social problems, this article however gained influence from views of late Professor Maurice Moreau’s Structural Social Work approach. The paper discussed multicultural community organizing in relation to ethnic minorities in Nigeria. This was tersely based on literatures generated from secondary data and lived experiences of the researchers. It looks at Multicultural Community Organizing (MCO) as a premise to providing an alternative vision for social work practice in the 21" century. Discuss Analysis was used to unearth the structural tendencies that influence 'opportunist oppressions' against the ethnic minorities in Nigeria. It also stares at other relevant issues such as multiculturalism and Nigerian state, and challenges in multicultural community organizing in Nigeria. Power was examined with reference to empowerment and the need for social actions in: maximizing client resources; reducing power inequalities in client-worker relationships; unmasking the primary structures of oppression; facilitating a collective consciousness; fostering activism with social movements; and encouraging responsibility for feelings and behaviours leading to individual, group and community social change. The study recommended educational approach, participation/involvement approach; capacity building and skill acquisition as integral components of MCO. These will help to blend communities irrespective of culture, race, sex, gender, occupation, education and ability so that they can be significantly empowered.
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