This article conducts a brief historical reconstruction of Social Work (in both the academic realm as well as that of the professional organizations of social workers) from the 1960's until today. Research focused on documents and historic files. The 26 interviews conducted with social workers that had a protagonistic role in this period, constituted the principal heuristic base. The first part of the article deals with the period before the dictatorship of 1976. The second part concerns the period from 1976-1983. The third portion looks at democratization. It concludes by identifying some challenges and proposals that face Latin American social work.
Social Work; history; professional organization