Social work in the era of ‘fluid certainties’

Last November, we had the opportunity to attend an important international conference on social work, organized by the Hellenic Association of Social Work and the and the University of West Attica. Beyond its dynamism, the conference tackled a particularly timely theme: ‘Social Work in the Era of “Liquid Certainties”’. With over 1,000 participants, the event offered a remarkable platform for exchanging ideas and sharing professional and academic experiences. The significance of the conference, however, extended far beyond its impressive scale. Its real impact lay in the depth of reflections on social work’s evolving role in an increasingly uncertain world. There is no doubt that the phrase ‘liquid certainties’ invokes Bauman’s (2000) concept of liquid modernity. Notwithstanding the apparent limitations—linked to the rather individualistic and relativistic view of our societies—Bauman’s concept helped describe a world where the traditional frameworks of stability and predictability have given way to fluidity and insecurity. There is no question here that the constants of poverty, inequality, and oppression do remain well anchored in the ways western societies have evolved. What appears to have changed over the last decades though is the intensity and frequency of crises, the extent of the climate catastrophe, the asymmetrical manifestations of oppression, the overt and covert nature of racism, and the ways technological evolutions reflect those changes. Consequently, social workers find themselves navigating a terrain marked by economic crises, wars, environmental disasters, and intensifying social inequalities. The contemporary history of our societies shows how promises of growth and prosperity have been tragically unfulfilled. In 1989, with the end of the Cold War, many proclaimed—or hoped for—the ‘end of history’; a new era of peace and progress. Instead, humanity has faced successive crises: economic collapses, wars, mass displacements, pandemics, climate catastrophe, and, most recently, the cost-of-living crisis. The speed and intensity of these events within a few decades have created an environment of unprecedented uncertainty. Inspired by Hobsbaum’s historical periodization, one could expand such typology by describing the present era as the ‘Age of Uncertainty’. The notion of ‘liquid certainty’ resonates deeply with the realities faced by social workers today. Traditional anchors such as steady employment, robust welfare systems, and predictable life trajectories have become increasingly precarious. Instead, social workers confront a world where individuals and communities are buffeted by rapid changes. This fluidity challenges us to rethink the role of social work as a profession rooted in stability and support, now operating within an environment where uncertainty is the norm. These forces not only impact the individuals and communities we serve but also shape the very profession of social work, demanding new approaches and critical reflections on our practice. One of the most striking outcomes of the conference was the way it highlighted the profession’s growing maturity and resilience in response to those challenges. Social work has reached a point where it confidently engages in equal dialogue across disciplines and with institutional actors. It has also cultivated a collective trust in the lived experiences of people they work with as well as frontline practitioners, even when these reveal uncomfortable truths about state policies or systemic failures. The theme of ‘liquid certainties’ also invites us to critically examine the profession’s dual responsibility: to provide immediate support to those in need while also advocating for systemic change. The economic crisis in Greece, for instance, revealed stark disparities in how crises impact different social groups. While public narratives often claim that ‘we are all in the same boat’, the reality is far more nuanced: some navigate the storm in secure vessels, while others struggle to stay afloat in fragile dinghies. This metaphor captures the enduring inequalities that social work must address, not just locally but globally. What also emerged from the conference was a shared understanding that the crises of our time—whether economic, environmental, or social—do not affect all groups equally. Vulnerable populations, including refugees, marginalized communities, and those living in poverty, bear the brunt of these challenges. Social workers are uniquely positioned to amplify these voices, ensuring that their experiences inform both practice and policy. Yet, this task is not without its challenges. The precarious conditions faced by social workers themselves, including low wages and high workloads, reflect a troubling trend across many countries. In much of South Europe, for example, years of economic austerity eroded collective bargaining rights and left salaries stagnant. These conditions mirror broader global patterns, as highlighted in conference discussions. At the same time, the absence of accessible and adequately funded healthcare systems, leaves thousands without care, depriving them of access to treatments and support. Adding to this already burdened context is the relatively easy access to firearms, creating an explosive mix. This situation is aptly summarized in the observation that when profits are placed above human dignity, the survival of people living in adversity—and of professionals tasked with supporting them—becomes extremely precarious. As social epidemiology has documented, social class differences are not merely quantitative but literally life-defining. In Western societies, the life expectancy gap between the wealthiest and the poorest can reach up to ten years. This statistic, as simple as it may seem, underscores the fundamental injustice of our time (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009). In light of these observations, the conference highlighted, defending social rights becomes more imperative than ever. In recent years, interpretations of the theoretically indivisible and inalienable nature of human rights have tended to be treated either as academic discussions at best or as a luxury. More alarmingly, the ‘states of exception’—or, as Agamben (2005) terms them, the legalized lawlessness of suspending constitutional guarantees—have become increasingly frequent. Greek society experienced these conditions of ‘calculated barbarity’ firsthand during the decade of economic bankruptcy when one fundamental social right after another was called into question. Indeed, in times of crisis and uncertainty, these rights are the first to be tested. Defending them, therefore, is both a duty and a responsibility for social work and all those working for social justice. It is crucial, however, to emphasize that alongside the broader social and political shifts described, we, as a scientific and professional community, must also question how prepared we are to advocate for, prioritize, and implement approaches rooted in social rights. Social workers at the event also noted how rapid development of intelligent and digital technologies, rather than leading to the liberation of workers and scientists from such dilemmas, often tends to consolidate and entrench them. This observation brings us to the third central theme of ‘liquid certainties’, which concerns the critical ethical dilemmas accompanying the development of big data technologies and artificial intelligence. As aptly noted by Paraskevopoulos (2024) in a recent article, the Pax Robotica and the supposed ability of technology to ensure social justice remain, despite technological progress, a figment of the imagination. This is because AI technologies are fuelled and operate with data that embody existing social conflicts and biases. However, we must not approach this issue with a catastrophist perspective, like that of the Luddites. On the other hand, we must not fall into the trap of new positivism or new eugenics—that is, views that promote the mechanistic and technocratic interpretation of social reality as the sole ideal solution to the major social problems of our time. History has repeatedly shown us that when humanity leaned excessively on positivism, the consequences were disastrous. We remind here of Cesare Lombroso's criminological theories, the formulation of the ‘criminal profile’, pseudoscientific racial superiority theories, or even the excessive expectations of the 1990s that the analysis of the human genome could predict future criminals. As we enter 2025, these themes reminded us of the long journey that social work has undertaken in much of the world. Our compass points towards our unmediated obligation to convey the truth of citizens facing adversity directly to those in power. The ‘speak truth to power’ phrase inspired by the civil rights movements of the 1960s is more relevant today than ever. Social work cannot and must not remain silent in the face of social injustices and inequalities observed on the frontline. It is duty-bound to bring the voices of the most vulnerable citizens to decision-making centres with candour and responsibility.

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