Lessons from African women who reshaped social work

Busi Madikizela-Theu

As we celebrate Women’s Month in South Africa, it’s essential to spotlight the powerful contributions of African women who reshaped their societies through social work and activism.

These women – such as Charlotte Makgomo-Mannya Maxeke, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and Aïcha Chenna – operated in what were once labelled “Third World” countries, and their work extended far beyond the conventional boundaries of social work or even the feminist movement as it was known in the West.

Western feminism, particularly the First Wave Feminist Movement, primarily focused on securing legal rights, like women’s suffrage and property ownership, and was rooted in the experiences of women in Europe and the US.

By the time of the Second Wave Feminist Movement in the 1960s and 1980s, feminist discourse had expanded to include issues of sexuality, reproductive rights, and social inequalities. However, in the African context, these issues were often overshadowed by more immediate struggles – colonialism, poverty, and national liberation.

The women who made a profound impact in Africa were not necessarily feminists in the Western sense.

Instead, they embodied a different form of activism and social work, one that was deeply rooted in their communities’ needs. Their work offers a fresh opportunity for us to develop new social work theories that reflect their contributions and can guide future generations of social workers.

Many of the women we honour today operated in spaces where gender equality was just one part of the larger struggle for justice. For Maxeke, a pioneer of social work and women's rights, the fight for education and social reform was intertwined with her political activism.

Madikizela-Mandela, while known globally for her resistance to apartheid, began her career as a social worker, focusing on empowering the marginalised before becoming a powerful political figure. Chenna, a Moroccan social worker, founded the Association Solidarité Féminine, helping single mothers gain economic independence in a society where their status was often stigmatised.

These women’s approaches to social work were defined by the realities of their environments. Rather than focusing solely on individual clients, their work aimed at transforming entire communities and addressing the structural inequalities that kept their societies entrenched in cycles of poverty and oppression. This approach gives rise to new theories of social work that can be derived from their legacies.

Community-Centric Social Justice Theory:

Charlotte Maxeke’s legacy inspires this theory, which argues that social work should prioritise community-led initiatives over individual-focused interventions. Her work demonstrated that empowering women collectively can lead to broader social change. This theory encourages social workers to act as facilitators of collective action, fostering leadership within communities rather than just alleviating individual suffering.

Intersectional Liberation Theory:

Inspired by the work of Madikizela-Mandela and Mitri Widad, this theory stresses the importance of addressing multiple forms of oppression – such as race, gender, and colonialism – simultaneously. For these women, the fight for women’s rights could not be separated from the broader struggles against colonial domination and racial discrimination. This theory encourages social workers to adopt an intersectional lens, understanding that liberation from one form of oppression requires addressing others as well.

Transformative Resistance Theory:

This theory is a direct reflection of Victoria Fikile Chitepo and Priscilla Ingasiani Abwao’s work in integrating social work with political resistance. It proposes that resistance to oppressive systems should be considered a form of social work, particularly in societies where the state itself contributes to inequality. This theory promotes the idea that social workers should engage in activism and structural change, rather than merely helping individuals navigate through oppressive systems.

Culturally Embedded Social Work Theory:

Inspired by Chenna and Mame Seck Mbacké, this theory emphasises the need for social workers to ground their practice in the local cultural and religious traditions of the communities they serve. These women adapted their work to reflect their societies' cultural realities, whether that meant working within Islamic traditions in Morocco or promoting economic development through local initiatives in Senegal. This theory suggests that social work should not impose external models but should instead engage with and respect local knowledge and customs to create culturally relevant interventions.

Relational Empowerment Theory:

Drawing on the work of Emily Hobhouse, this theory focuses on the power of relationships in creating social change. Hobhouse demonstrated that supporting women and children in concentration camps during the Boer War was not just about providing resources but about fostering co-operation and mutual support. This theory argues that social workers should prioritise building and strengthening relationships within families and communities, as these networks are critical to long-term empowerment and resilience.

Post-Colonial Healing Theory:

Regina Gelana Twala and Widad inspire this theory, which focuses on healing the psychological and social wounds left by colonialism. Post-Colonial Healing Theory advocates for social work practices that help communities reclaim their cultural identities, promote indigenous knowledge, and address the trauma caused by colonialism. This theory argues that social work in post-colonial societies should not just provide services but also contribute to the decolonisation of minds and systems.

These new social work theories offer a way to honour the legacies of African women social workers who operated within their specific historical and social contexts. Their “brand” of social work, deeply rooted in the fight for community empowerment, national liberation and social justice, reflects a powerful form of activism that continues to inspire. By studying and building upon their work, we can derive new frameworks that better address the needs of marginalised communities today.

As we celebrate Women's Month, we remember that these women were more than just activists – they were innovators who reshaped the field of social work to meet the unique challenges of their societies. Their legacies call us to move beyond traditional feminist narratives and embrace a more inclusive, intersectional approach to social work that is grounded in the lived realities of those we seek to serve. Their contributions remind us that social work is not just about services – it's about creating lasting change in the world.

* Madikizela-Theu is a PhD candidate at the University of Fort Hare. The article is part of a tribute on Women’s Month published through the Young Social Workers Network.

Cape Times