Leadership for diversity in social work academia: A world of potential, or an inherent clash?

This autoethnographic study examines the complexities and contradictions of leadership in social work academia through the lived experience of an Ethiopian–Israeli woman faculty member at a leading Israeli university. Using critical autoethnography as a methodological framework, the study presents three ‘case studies’ that illuminate the challenges to fostering change in social work academic leadership toward diversity and equality. The research reveals how institutional demands often conflict with social work values and community engagement, particularly for faculty from marginalized backgrounds. The study demonstrates how demands for measurable academic outputs clash with efforts to promote epistemic justice and community knowledge production. The findings suggest that while social work academic leadership has significant potential to drive positive change, institutional barriers and neoliberal academic culture often work to stifle this potential, especially for leaders from marginalized groups. This study contributes to understanding how intersectional identities shape academic leadership experiences and offers insights for creating more inclusive academic environments that value diverse and community-based forms of knowledge production.