Emancipatory societal projects for Latin America: a critical commitment for the reconceptualisation of Social Work at Universidad Católica de Valparaíso School of Social Work

Abstract

This article analyses the reconceptualisation movement of social work in Chile from mid-1960 to 1973 that impacted on universities, which, in turn, participated in theoretical and political discussions through Latin America during that time. The article has been prepared from the perspective of the project of the School of Social Work at the Catholic University of Valparaíso as an experience that merged the theoretical discussions around radical questioning and professional change. It covers the period from the ‘developmental policies’ in the geopolitical context of the Cold War, when occidental powers competed to extend their influence over Third World countries, to the transition process to socialism during the Popular Unity Government in Chile.