ASTRA Blog by Amy Shackelford: Abolition Social Work & the Eco-social Approach: Dismantling the Military & Police Industrial Complexes as a Tool for Justice

The eco-social approach to social work is an evolving framework that connects the dimensions of economic, social, and environmental systems to the core concept of justice. While justice is a foundational principle for social work practice, the eco-social approach expands this with an anti-anthropocentric approach that guides social workers to incorporate environmental sustainability into a practice that dissects systems of oppression and connects them with perpetuating harm to individual, community, and planetary well-being (Boetto, 2017). The eco-social approach to social work incorporates an alternative to positivist and modernist perspectives and incorporates key objectives of holism, sustainability, empowerment, equity, and indigenous knowledge systems (Boetto, 2017). “In its goal to challenge the mainstream paradigm of social work, the eco-social framework shares much in common with the critical, structural, radical, indigenous and feminist approaches of the profession” (Närhi & Matthies, 2018, p. 498). This approach is important as we continue to witness the devastating impact of climate change on the environment and communities as supported in a 2018 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report includes a wealth of data and information, with the most sobering facts reflecting that the rising global temperature of the planet is in fact due to human activity, it is accelerating at a rate that is not sustainable for human life, and it will continue to produce more frequent and severe natural disasters, particularly in developing and vulnerable communities (IPCC, 2018). They have since released a final report explicitly linking climate change to colonialism and a lack of global equity (IPCC, 2022). The IPCC writes, “Vulnerability of ecosystems and people to climate change differs substantially among and within regions …driven by patterns of intersecting socio-economic development, unsustainable ocean and land use, inequity, marginalization, historical and ongoing patterns of inequity such as colonialism, and governance” (IPCC, 2022, p. 1).

As social work practitioners and researchers, we must then ask ourselves where we sit concerning colonialist practices and if we are willing to show solidarity for those communities who will be impacted earlier and more severely than our own. One can understand colonialist practices within social work through the positionality within the punitive structure of the state that is perhaps as old as the profession itself as social work history is currently taught. Reisch (2013) reflects this concept, “… the emphasis of neo-liberalism on individual rather than structural transformation has shifted the focus of social work practice away from resistance and change to adaptation, resiliency, and compliance with the ‘disciplinary regime’ that neo-liberal policies have produced” (p. 718). This shows up practically in many areas of social work – providing social assistance based on social worker monitoring, child protection institutions that use punishment as an intervention, and program requirements to prove one is worthy of assistance, and many other practices. This is not to say social workers are at fault, on the contrary, they are typically passionately giving their time, energy, and love to help communities. But without examining the positionality of social work currently, practitioners will continue to put band-aids on bigger wounds.

What we need now more than ever is an elevated consciousness within social work. One that understands that to continue working as we are currently will only lead to further degradation of the environment and communities, particularly communities of color, the Global South, and islands. And so, an eco-social approach provides an important understanding of the micro, meso, and macro practices that can be used to address modernist issues. And yet it may not go far enough to expose the ambitious dream of decoupling social work from the state as an environmental justice strategy. This is where abolition social work comes in, which is a growing academic discourse within the U.S. but may not be as common in Europe yet. While most notably abolition gained traction as a social movement of those working to eradicate and resist the slave trade instigated by North America and Europe, abolition has since evolved through the work of feminists, community organizers, and activists who are largely women of color, queer or trans, and using anti-capitalist, grassroots power building to fight for freedom, justice, and equality by resisting state punitive measures (Davis, et. al., 2022). At its core, abolition or to abolish something, is to eradicate, dismantle, or eliminate it. While most equate it with the movement to eliminate human slavery in the U.S., it extends further to refer to dismantling similar harmful systems that are rooted in the carceral state. “Carceral” is a term that refers to prison, but in relation to abolition is a way of framing how the state maintains control through punishment and violence, mostly through the military and police industrial complexes. And while these are U.S. centric terms, one can argue they are global problems plaguing vulnerable communities and the environment alike. Abolition social work calls on the field to recognize the ways that social worker practitioners and researchers actively participate in the carceral nature of the state, and pose that dismantling the military and police industrial complexes will perpetuate a life-affirming society based on wellness and justice (Network to Advance Abolitionist Social Work, 2022). The overlapping factors of both the eco-social approach and abolition social work lie in the calls for a drastic shift, a new vision for the future based on dismantling harmful systems rather than attempting to work within them. And the all too beautiful recognition that social workers hold the knowledge, skills, and experience to be at the front of this discourse. The frameworks complement each other, as a growing recognition exists that social work as a profession has roots in colonialism and has become ingrained within the carceral state, and many within social work are pressured to compromise their values to fulfill their employment requirements by using punishment, monitoring, and control as tools for providing social assistance. Both approaches take critical a lens on ways social work can unintentionally perpetuate the very systems causing the hardships that we are trying to undo.

The military and police industrial complexes are one of the most pressing threats to environmental justice – they are the arm of the state that causes environmental destruction while suppressing the discourse of those who work to expose climate change. A simple Google Scholar search for “Police” and “Environmental Activists” yields hundreds of results from nearly every part of the world connecting policing and the silencing of such activists. Do this search in the news tab of a search engine and the results are even more overwhelming. Criminalization has been used as a tool of the state for centuries – typically against the poor. The new wave of criminalizing environmental activists (known as green criminalization) is part of the same coin. Birss (2017) writes, “When states prioritize business interests over the rights of everyday citizens—particularly the poorest and most marginalized—they tend to see them as obstacles instead of as citizens with needs to be addressed” (p. 316). This is even more drastic for communities of indigenous people and those in the Global South working to protect forests, rivers, and communities. For example, in 2021, Global Witness recorded at least 227 environmental activists were murdered, mostly in the Global South and indigenous communities. While it is unclear who perpetrated such attacks, one can imagine there is little concern by the state as these murders continue to occur and go unsolved (Global Witness, 2021). Yet, people still protest and risk their lives to protect our water, our planet. Are social workers within and outside of the academy willing to do the same thing? If the eco-social approach to social work calls on the field to uplift indigenous voices, experiences, and leadership, then we must recognize that the carceral state is a direct threat to these communities.

While I am writing this and over the weekend of 08 April 2022, thousands of scientists around the world took to the streets to cry out for a climate revolution, dozens were arrested by police in full military gear (Johnson, 2022). Simultaneously, reports continue to emerge about the environmental impact of militaries and wars. Recent findings show that the United States of America (USA) military is one of the largest polluters in the world and the world’s largest institutional polluter on the globe (Crawford, 2019). Crawford (2019) found, “In 2017, for example, the Pentagon’s total greenhouse gas emissions (installations and operations) were greater than the greenhouse gas emissions of entire industrialized countries, such as Sweden, Denmark and Portugal and also greater than all CO2 emissions from USA production of iron and steel” (p. 2). And while the USA military is the largest and most environmentally harmful in the world, all militaries pose a threat to the environment and communities. A recent study published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found that global military expenditures is the highest it’s been in the past forty years (2022). The five largest spenders are the United States of America, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia (SIPRI, 2022). The below chart was published on 25 April 2022 by SIPRI:

The increase in military spending by countries across the world demonstrates just how pressing it is that social work take a strong stance against the funding and prioritizing of conflict and violence over planetary wellbeing.

War has a well-documented intentional and unintentional impact on the environment. From the use of bombs (including the horrific testing and usage of nuclear bombs) to the construction of temporary military bases to the fuel for tanks and planes, war has a long-lasting impact on the natural environment (Westing, 2008). And this does not encapsulate the immense human impact of war – loss of life, displacement, gender-based violence, and the destruction of communities. And yet, social work as a profession remains mostly silent on issues of abolishing the military and police, and even more silent on the emerging construction of environmental activism as a crime. Connecting the eco-social approach and abolition social work can help practitioners and researchers frame the importance of dismantling these harmful systems in the context of helping community members thrive. Richie & Martensen (2020) write, “Important to a critique of the expansion of the carceral state hinges on an understanding of how crime is more of a social construction rather than an absolute phenomenon…. Second, the expansion of the carceral state is associated with a simultaneous divestment of resources from programs and services that would otherwise strengthen communities with their most significant needs” (p. 13). It is in the best interest of social work to adapt this perspective, as the current situation not only perpetuates immense harm to and criminalization of communities, but it also limits the resources available for reinvestment in the community.

Imagining a world free of these systems is not impossible – in fact communities have lived in balance with each other and the planet before and still do in many parts of the world. We can imagine large societal shifts that center social work as a community tool for emancipation and healing. While the overall goal is abolishment of these structures, small steps can be taken every day to work towards this larger vision. Below are some examples of reflection questions social work researchers might find helpful in starting to develop a practice based in abolition:

Reflection Questions:

· How can I eliminate language rooted in the punitive state, for example citizen, illegal, or other terms that perpetuate a hierarchy of human value based on legal status?

· If your research involves people who have been oppressed due to the military and police industrial complex, do you make sure to highlight this in your research and provide alternative structures?

· How can I ensure the institutions I am a part of are a place of liberation for all (this can include community members, program participants, students, or colleagues)?

· How can I ensure I am not collaborating with police or other institutions that perpetuate state sanctioned violence for my research and teaching?

· Are there ways to highlight social work programs, practices, or theories that call for alternatives to cultivating community safety without the involvement of the state in your research, writing, and teaching?

 

References

Birss, M. (2017). Criminalizing environmental activism. NACLA Report on the Americas, 49 (3), 315-322. doi:10.1080/10714839.2017.1373958

Boetto, H. (2017). A transformative eco-social model: Challenging modernist assumptions in social work. British Journal of Social Work, 47, 48-67. doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcw19

Crawford, N. C. (2019). Costs of war: Pentagon fuel use, climate change, and the costs of war. Watson Institute International & Public Affairs. Boston University.

Davis, A. Y., Dent, G., Meiners, E., & Richie, B. (2022). Abolition. Feminism. Now. Haymarket Books.

Global Witness. (2021). The last line of defence: The industries causing climate change and attacks against land and environmental defenders. Retrieved from https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/last-line-defence/ file:///Users/amyshackelford/Downloads/Last_line_of_defence_-_low_res_-_September_2021%20(1).pdf

IPCC, 2018: Summary for Policymakers. In: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor, and T. Waterfield (eds.)]. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 32 pp.

IPCC, 2022: Headline Statements from the Summary for Policymakers. In: Sixth Assessment Report, Working Group II – Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_HeadlineStatements.pdf

Johnson, J. (2022). Dozens arrested as more than 1,000 join largest ever “scientist-led civil disobedience campaign”. Salon. Retrieved from https://www.salon.com/2022/04/08/dozens-arrested-as-more-than-1000-join-largest-ever-scientist-led-civil-disobedience-campaign_partner/

Matthies, A., Närhi, K., & Ward, D. (2015). Eco-Social Approach In Social Work. SoPhi. University of Jyväskyla.

Matthies, A., Peeters, J., Hirvilammi, T., & Stamm, I. (2020). Eco-social innovations enabling social work to promote new forms of sustainable economy. International Journal of Social Welfare, 0, 1-12. doi: 10.111/ijsw.12423

Network to Advance of Abolitionist Social Work. (2021). Challenging carceral social work and the struggle for abolition. Retrieved from https://www.naasw.com/_files/ugd/1687ed_cd4bbb1ea82e41aab3cea042150dd5df.pdf

Närhi, K. & Matthies, A. (2018). The eco-social approach in social work as a framework for structural social work. International Social Work, 61(4), 490-502. doi:10.1177/0020872816644663

Reisch, M. (2013). Social work education and the neo-liberal challenge: The US response to increasing global inequality. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 32(6), 715-733, doi: 10.1080/02615479.2013.809200.

Richie, B. E. & Martensen, K. M. (2020). Resisting carcerality, embracing abolition: Implications for feminist social work practice. Journal of Women and Social Work, 35 (1), 12-16. Doi: 10.1177/0886109919897576

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. (2022). World military expenditure passes $2 trillion for the first time. Retrived from https://sipri.org/media/press-release/2022/world-military-expenditure-passes-2-trillion-first-time

Westing, A.H. (2008). The impact of war on the environment. In B.S. Levy & V.W. Sidel. (Eds.), War and public health. (pp. 69-84). Oxford University Press: USA.