The "cycle of poverty," a myth manufactured and sustained by the Parsonian pundits of social theory and welfare, has blamed the victims of oppression with impunity. Brij Mohan deconstructs Oscar Lewis' Culture""of Poverty theory and its applications in the fields of social welfare, policy, and development. Poverty, a global scourge, is defined as a political rather than an economic issue. The implications of this formulation paradigmatically shift the focus of discourse in the social sciences. "Development, Poverty of Culture, and Social Policy" offers an interdisciplinary analysis of complex issues, constructs, and interventions that deal with human-social problems with global implications. "Poverty of Culture" posits social development theory and practice in a critically important context challenging the scientific orthodoxy of our times.

This book offers an interdisciplinary analysis of complex issues, constructs, and interventions that deal with human-social problems with global implications. It posits social development theory and practice in a critically important context challenging the scientific orthodoxy of our times.

How can injustice and oppression be overcome and prevented, regardless of who the victims are? What are the meanings, sources, and dynamics of these dehumanizing conditions? David Gil brings to these questions a lifetime of experience in social action and in social work practice and education. Writing for human services professionals, students, and activists, he sounds the call to embrace the core values of radical social work: equality, liberty, cooperation, and affirmation of community in pursuit of individual and social development. Gil identifies violence, unemployment, racism, and poverty as the chief injustices in society, and outlines the steps that must be taken in order to confront and abolish these through education and activism.