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ThesisCC BY-NC V4.0, Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 21-Jan-2026
Dissertation
Social Work with Nepali Women: A Decolonising Perspective
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00958
Abstract
This study explores how Nepali female social workers engage with Nepali women’s emancipation from a decolonial perspective. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, in‑depth interviews were conducted with 16 female social workers in Nepali NGOs, each bringing both personal and professional insight into women’s issues and social work. The research critically examined how longstanding historical, cultural, social, religious, and political norms shape Nepali women’s identities and perpetuate their marginalisation through patriarchy, casteism, and fatalistic acceptance of discrimination.
A key focus was evaluating the relevance of Western‑imported social work education in addressing these complex realities. Participants reported a persistent gap between
pedagogical content—often rooted in Eurocentric frameworks—and the practical demands of working with Nepali women. They argued that uncritical promotion of local culture by mainstream decolonial advocates overlooks harmful practices that exacerbate women’s vulnerability. Instead, they called for an alternative decolonial discourse that both centres women’s voices and critically interrogates cultural norms.
The resulting ‘decolonised model of social work with Nepali women’ emerges directly from participants’ dual experiences as Nepali women and female social work practitioners.
This model champions social work that is ‘for the women’, ‘by the women’, and ‘of the women’, integrating four pillars: contextual responsiveness to women’s lived realities;
epistemic co‑production validating situated knowledge; collaborative empowerment through dialogue and collective agency; and critical advocacy for structural change. By resisting the coloniality of knowledge and Western‑centric approaches, this model offers a contextually resonant, effective, and practical framework for social work education and practice in Nepal. It also provides a fresh perspective for decolonising social work more broadly, adaptable to other Global South contexts.
Details
- Title
- Social Work with Nepali Women: A Decolonising Perspective
- Authors
- Pratiksha Ghimire - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
- Contributors
- Raj Yadav (Principal Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sustainability Research ClusterJay Sanderson (Co-Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyCindy Davis (Co-Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Cancer Research ClusterZalia Rose Powell (Co-Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00958
- Organisation Unit
- School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991155538402621
- Output Type
- Dissertation
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