Bidirectional Learning In Global Social Work Research: Advancing Equitable Knowledge Exchange between the Global North and Global South

Social work has long been guided by a commitment to human dignity, social justice, and democratic participation. As the profession confronts challenges that transcend national boundaries, including poverty, forced migration, armed conflict, climate change, and persistent social inequities, collaborative, cross-contextual responses are increasingly essential. Yet the intellectual foundations of social work, encompassing its theories, research methods, and practice models, have historically emerged primarily from the Global North. This legacy has prompted sustained debates about the applicability of Western frameworks in contexts where distinct histories, cultures, and social systems demand locally grounded approaches.

Scholars have raised concerns that the uncritical export of Global North models can unintentionally undermine indigenous and community-based knowledge systems, thereby reinforcing global inequalities in knowledge production. Bidirectional learning, wherein knowledge exchange flows from the Global South to the Global North and vice versa offers a principled framework for addressing these inequities through respectful collaboration, shared leadership, and mutual intellectual exchange. When effectively enacted, bidirectional learning promotes the democratization of scientific inquiry and the decolonization of social work practice, enabling locally developed interventions and community-driven strategies to inform and enrich the global knowledge base.

This roundtable brings together a panel of distinguished social work scholars from the Global North and Global South who have engaged in sustained international collaborative research for more than two decades. Drawing on long-term partnerships addressing poverty reduction, child welfare, community mental health, and family strengthening, panelists will offer diverse perspectives on the conceptual foundations, structural challenges, and practical strategies of bidirectional learning in global social work research.

Three core topics will structure the discussion. First, panelists will examine what bidirectional learning means in practice and how it differs from traditional, hierarchical models of international research collaboration. Second, speakers will address how to structure equitable research partnerships including co-designed studies, shared authorship, and distributed institutional leadership across national and cultural contexts. Third, the panel will explore strategies for sustaining long-term international partnerships that strengthen capacity and promote mutual learning, particularly under conditions of resource asymmetry between partner institutions.

The session will open with brief reflections from each panelist on lessons drawn from their international collaborative experience, followed by a moderated discussion examining opportunities and tensions in building equitable global partnerships. The roundtable will conclude with an open dialogue in which all participants are invited to engage panelists on integrating reciprocal learning into research design, academic training, and practice.

This roundtable directly advances the 2027 conference theme of rigorous inquiry for the common good by centering democratic and inclusive models of knowledge production across national and cultural contexts. It carries meaningful implications for how social work researchers design international partnerships, structure cross-contextual inquiry, and contribute to a more equitable global knowledge base capable of addressing complex social challenges in both low- and high-income countries.