“Worldview,” as a synonym for paradigm (see Creswell and Plano Clark 2011 Lincoln 1990 Patton 2002 Rossman and Rallis 2003), is described as “a way of thinking about and making sense of the complexities of the real world” ( Patton 2002, p. Introduced by Thomas Kuhn ( 1970), the term paradigm was used to discuss the shared generalizations, beliefs, and values of a community of specialists regarding the nature of reality and knowledge. In social research, the term “paradigm” is used to refer to the philosophical assumptions or to the basic set of beliefs that guide the actions and define the worldview of the researcher ( Lincoln et al. This article brings together a variety of perspectives to argue that pragmatism has the potential to closely engage and empower marginalized and oppressed communities and provide hard evidence for the macro level discourse. In this essay, we analyze the major philosophical underpinnings and methodological challenges associated with pragmatism, synthesize the works of scholars who have contributed to the understanding of pragmatism as a research paradigm, articulate our thoughts about how pragmatism fits within social work research, and illustrate how it is linked to the pursuit of social justice. The primary focus of this essay is on providing a critical review and synthesis of the literature regarding pragmatism as a research paradigm. In recent years, social work scholars have drawn on the epistemology of pragmatism to present a case for its value in the creation of knowledge for social work and other social justice–oriented professions. More prevalent are the discussions around the ways by which social work knowledge is obtained. Debates around the issues of knowledge of, and for, social work and other social justice–oriented professions are not uncommon.
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