Is it "critical" . . . or is it "progressive" . . . or is it "radical" social work practice?

I would argue that critical/progressive/radical practice is social work in its original and most fundamental expression. Think about the following themes that underlie the modern critical/progressive/radical tradition in social work:

• conceptualizing personal struggles as connected to the social structures within which they are occurring (especially structures of oppression and domination)
• consideration and understanding of the social control functions of social work practice
• naming and voicing of oppression as part of a comprehensive and on-going social critique
• working actively toward personal and collective empowerment and tthe ransformation of society

Are these not also the concepts through which Jane Addams, Hull House and other early social work pioneers sought to change the lives and situations of immigrants, individuals living in poverty and others suffering within our society?