Critique in social work research: Arguments for a synthesis between critical realism and German critical theory

This chapter claims that researchers wishing to contribute to critical reflection on social work must produce deep knowledge about the generative mechanisms that create social problems and the need for social intervention. Further, it will be argued that a critical science that wants to participate in the struggles for convictions must also be able to make moral judgements about the state of society. Even if representatives of critical realism agree with the latter, the contribution from this school of thought to the development of a normatively founded critical science unfolds on a very general metatheoretical or programmatic level. For this reason, we will explore a methodological alliance between critical realism and German critical theory.