Afrocentricity: an emerging paradigm in social work practice

Although several models of social work practice that can better assist people of color have emerged, the cultural values of this population generally have not been used as a theoretical base to develop new practice models. This situation not only prevents a truly diversified theoretical base in social work but also reinforces the hegemony of Eurocentric concepts for explaining and solving human and societal problems. Recently the concept "Afrocentricity" has been used to describe the cultural values of people of African descent. This article presents the values and describes the philosophical concepts of Afrocentricity as a social science paradigm on which social work practice can be conceived and built and explains the reasons for the emergence of an Afrocentric social science perspective. Social workers are encouraged to embrace the Afrocentric paradigm because of its emphasis on eliminating oppression and spiritual alienation.