Serviço Social & Realidade launches call for 2026 edition on contemporary reconfigurations and professional resistance
PRESENTATION OF THE 2026 EDITION (CONTINUOUS FLOW)
It is with great satisfaction that the journal Serviço Social & Realidade (SS&R), linked to the Graduate Program in Social Work of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNESP – São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", presents its thematic edition for 2026:
SOCIAL WORK IN TIMES OF (RE)CONFIGURATIONS: foundations, training and resistance in confronting the expressions of the social question.
The choice of this theme stems from the understanding that Brazilian Social Work, built on solid historical and theoretical-methodological foundations, currently faces profound transformations in the world of work, in public policies, and in the advance of conservative societal projects on a global scale. The ongoing "(re)configurations" – ranging from productive restructuring and the financialization of capital to the reorganization of right-wing forces worldwide – impose new challenges on professional practice, academic training, and the ethical-political principles that guide the profession.
In this scenario, the debate on the foundations of Social Work cannot be restricted to the past; it is imperative to update it in light of the contemporary metamorphoses of the social question. Likewise, professional training must respond to the new demands of the world of work and the requirements of a critical-transformative practice, without losing sight of the inseparability between theory and practice. Finally, resistance – as an ethical, political, and pedagogical stance – becomes a central element in confronting the multiple expressions of the social question, particularly in a context of neoliberal offensive and the dismantling of rights.
This edition does not close in on a single object of analysis but opens a large thematic umbrella, welcoming contributions that articulate contemporary dynamics with the foundational pillars of the profession. It is hoped, thereby, to foster a plural and updated debate on the role of Social Work in the uncompromising defense of human rights and in the construction of a fairer and more democratic society.
Thematic axes of interest (non-exhaustive):
- Historical and theoretical-methodological foundations – critical revisitations of the Brazilian Social Work tradition, dialogues with critical social theory, updating the debate on the social question in contemporary capitalism.
- Professional training – curriculum, internship, pedagogical practices, challenges of teaching-service-community integration, internationalization of training, impacts of distance education and new technologies.
- Work and professional practice – reconfigurations of the world of work, precarization, outsourcing, working conditions of social workers, moral harassment, worker health.
- Public policies and social security – effects of dismantling, counter-reforms, financialization, judicialization, social participation, social control.
- Resistance and social movements – strategies of collective organization, struggle for rights, confrontation with reactionary conservatism, interprofessional and intersectoral alliances.
- Ethnic-racial, gender and generational issues – intersectionalities, structural racism, gender violence, aging, affirmative policies.
- International and comparative perspectives – Latin American and other contextual experiences, South-South dialogues, migrations, exile, human rights from a global perspective.
Call for submissions
As a continuous flow journal, Serviço Social & Realidade receives submissions throughout the year. Works must be original and can be submitted in the following formats:
- Scientific articles
- Theoretical essays
- Reports of professional experience
- Critical reviews
Contributions are accepted in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and Italian, expanding international dialogue in the field of Social Work.
All submitted texts are evaluated through the double blind review system, ensuring editorial impartiality, transparent technical criteria, and academic excellence.
Technical data:
- eISSN: 2176‑0896 (Online)
- ISSN: 1413‑4233 (Print)
We invite the Social Work community and related fields to participate in this edition, strengthening the dialogue between foundations, training and resistance. Welcome!
