PROGRAM AND CONFERENCE THEME
Program
The programs of both the Pre - PhD Conference and the Plenum Conference can now be found online!
Program of the PhD-Pre Conference
August 29 - August 31, 2025
Program of the Plenum Conference
September 1 -September 3, 2025
The Book of Abstracts of both the Pre - PhD Conference and the Plenum Conference can be found through the ABSTRACTS section!
Conference theme
Re-imagining Social Work and Social Justice:
The Nexus of Theory, Practice, and Dissent
In the Global Definition, social work is defined as both a practice and an academic discipline. However, a de-intellectualisation of social work is apparent. This is embodied in a focus in research and practice on the development of skills on the one hand, and on the other hand evidence-based tools, rather than critical analysis. As such, the theory-practice nexus becomes problematic: either theory is seen as ‘hindering’ real social work, or theory merely has to be ‘implemented’ by social workers. This is a reduction of both research and practice to a hegemonic instead of a dissenting activity. Both intuitive knowledge and evidence-based models tend to be conservative, focused on the status quo instead of social justice.
In this conference, we want to reimagine the theory-practice nexus. The central question is: how can both research and practice be intellectual dissenting activities, countering hegemonic thinking and contributing to social justice?
PhD-Pre Conference supervisory panel
The PhD-Pre Conference provides a unique opportunity for doctoral candidates who conduct research in the overall field of social services and related social problems to present their results or work in progress. A board of professors of international standing will form a panel to comment on the presentations and will be available for any further guidance. The 2025 supervisors are:
- Prof. Cristiana Almeida
Lusofona University (Portugal) - Prof. Lieve Bradt
Ghent University (Belgium) - Prof. Jim Campbell
University College Dublin (Ireland) - Prof. Anna Gupta
Royal Holloway, University of London (United Kingdom) - Prof. Mark Humme
Koblenz University (Germany) - Prof. Onno Husen
University of Münster (Germany) - Prof. Vasilios Ioakimidis
University of West Attica (Greece) - Prof Christian Kjeldsen
Aarhus University (Denmark) - Prof. Helena Neves Almeida
Coimbra University (Portugal) - Prof. Anna Odrowaz-Coates
Maria Grzegorzewska University (Poland) - Prof. Kim Robinson
Deakin University (Australia) - Prof. Griet Roets
Ghent University (Belgium) - Prof. Rudi Roose
Ghent University (Belgium) - Prof. Martin Wagener
UC Louvain (Belgium)
