Towards a contemporary concept of Social Work in Mexico: the status of the profession

Abstract

The article begins by looking at the rise in Social Work in the beneficial historic context of the constitutionalist nation State (1917), and the traditional professional situation found in the social-political environment of Mexico, at a time of globalization. The paper raises a new concept of contemporary Social Work, in order to trace an ethical-political position for professional life, which includes the perspective of the actor. Conceived as an idea for well-being, it reinterprets the philosophical principles of the discipline and borrows theoretical elements from the contemporary Social Sciences. It re-cognizes that a dialog among different forms of knowledge should be considered in the exercise of social, civil and human rights, in a context of liberty and justice, including excluded peoples and sectors of society.