Usi e abusi del concetto di "empowerment". Appunti per una riscoperta delle sue genealogie radicali a partire dalla metodologia dei centri antiviolenza femministi

Empowerment has become a cornerstone concept in social work, community psychology, and social policy, yet its theoretical and practical operationalization reveals persistent tensions and paradoxes. This paper critically examines competing conceptualizations of empowerment, distinguishing between liberal approaches, which depoliticize empowerment as an individual technical skill, and liberatory approaches, which center collective action and structural transformation. Drawing on Anglo-American literature in social work and community psychology, we trace the radical genealogies of empowerment rooted in anti-oppressive practice and consciousness-raising, highlighting how neoliberal welfare transformations have appropriated and neutralized its emancipatory potential. We then focus on interventions supporting women leaving violent relationships, where the tension between individual autonomy and structural change becomes particularly visible. The paper concludes by addressing the «empowerment paradox»: can professionals empower others when their power derives from institutional structures that reproduce inequality? We argue that feminist anti-violence centers offer a critical example of practice that confronts this paradox through horizontal relationships, co-constructed pathways, and sustained ties to feminist movements, demonstrating that authentic empowerment requires not only transforming professional relationships but also challenging the organizational and political structures that constrain them.