Abstract

This chapter examines critical theoryCritical theory as a way of explaining, contesting and acting upon social injustice. Critical theories, of which there are many, have been a significant source of explanatory power and motivating action for social work. As will be shown, there are a number of different generations and formulations of critical theoryCritical theory. What links these different theories is that they combine explanationsInjusticeexplanations of of social reality with practical aims for addressing social injustices. The chapter explains what makes critical social scienceCritical social science critical, and then outlines Marxist, feminist and postcolonial theoryPostcolonialtheory by explaining each position in relation to a theory of false consciousness, theory of crisis, theory of education and a theory of transformative action.