Can We Build a Future for Everyone?

"Until the animals get their own storyteller, the hunter remains the hero of all tales."

This Nigerian proverb is a favourite of Dr. Marina Morgenshtern, associate professor of social work at Trent University, to frame her approach to research and teaching. Professor Morgenshtern focuses on creating space for marginalized populations, particularly immigrants, to share their stories and to inform social policy and practice on how civic and social structures create opportunities and challenges for those who endure them. 

As a social worker in both Canada and Israel, she engaged in community and leadership development, developed culturally-informed means for intervention with immigrant and ethnically and religiously minoritized families, developed and facilitated psycho-educational programs for low-income families, couples, immigrant and ethnic and religious minority parents, youth, and the elderly. Now her research builds on this experience to help train others to serve these populations. 

"My practice in different countries has attuned me to social inequalities at local, national and global levels – I cannot stay silent, sit here and not do everything in my power to elevate and include the voices of those who are not heard, and do my part in building a better world,” said Prof. Morgenshtern. 

Prof. Morgenshtern’s areas of teaching and research interest include social constructivist, feminist intersectional, anti-oppressive, and antiracist approaches to social work with immigrant and racialized individuals, families and groups, and the inclusion of marginalized voices into social work theory, research, and practice. 

Prof. Morgenshtern issues this challenge as we work to build the future: “Until we listen to and legitimize the experiences of those who are socially marginalized, we cannot hope for a socially just world. Only by including their voices into the conversations about social change can we build a future that works for all of us, through all of us.”