Social Work in the 21st Century

Michael Reisch is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland. A former Woodrow Wilson Fellow and Fulbright Senior Scholar, he has held faculty and administrative positions at five other major U.S. universities, and has been a visiting professor and lectured widely in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. Based on his interdisciplinary educational background in law, history, political and social theory, and social work, he has authored or edited 35 books and monographs, 150 journal articles and book chapters, and over 450 conference papers. His scholarship focuses on such topics as poverty and inequality, welfare and welfare reform, the history and philosophy of social welfare, social justice, social policy, and social work practice, and the impact of economic globalization on social welfare. His many books include From Charity to Enterprise: The Development of American Social Work in a Market Economy (with Stanley Wenocur); The Road Not Taken: A History of Radical Social Work in the United States (with Janice Andrews); Social Work and Social Justice: Concepts, Challenges, and Strategies (with Charles Garvin); Macro Social Work Practice: Working for Change in a Multicultural Society; Social Work Ethics in a Changing Society; and the Routledge International Handbook of Social Justice. He has also co-edited two editions of the Handbook of Community Practice and the 4th edition of his book, Social Policy and Social Justice, will be published in spring 2021. Translations of his scholarship appear in 10 languages. With Dr. Yoosun Park, he is currently working on a book tentatively titled From Americanization to Integration: A Discursive History of Social Work with Immigrants and Immigration.

Dr. Reisch has held leadership positions in national, state, and local advocacy, professional, and social justice organizations with a particular focus on the issues confronting low-income children and families, welfare recipients, immigrants and refugees, and unemployed or homeless persons. His op-eds have appeared in numerous newspapers and he has been a frequent guest on public interest radio programs. Reisch has directed and consulted on political campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels in four states, and been honored for his work by the Maryland General Assembly, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and numerous nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and universities. In 2013, he received the Social Work Educator of the Year Award from the Maryland Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. In 2014, he received both the Teacher of the Year Award from the University of Maryland and the Significant Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council on Social Work Education. In 2017, Reisch became a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and in 2019, he received the Career Achievement Award from the Association for Community Organization and Social Action.