Interdisciplinarity of Sociology and Social Work – Experiences and Perspectives

Abstract

The paper discusses the need for an interdisciplinary approach in the study and understanding of society as a whole. An interdisciplinary approach through the study of sociology and social work is a necessity for both scientific approaches in the 21st century. In the first part of the paper, we talk about society and man, as well as the subject of study of sociology and social work. We emphasize that both scientific approaches, sociology, and social work, are relatively young in the context of their establishment. The basic conceptual determinants of sociology and social work are given, as well as the places of meeting and perspectives for both scientific approaches. The first part of the paper also talks about the Chicago School as a meeting place for sociology and social work, and about the causes and consequences of divergence, between sociology and social work, within the Chicago School. In the second part of the paper, we talk about the challenges in the demarcation of sociology and social work, where we emphasize the problem of partialization of scientific fields and processes present in the so-called „identification confusion“ and „jurisdiction“ of scientific fields. The content on the dialectical understanding of sociology and social work is thematic, with special reference to the branches of sociological theory – social spheres, spiritual life, and management. We emphasize that there is an inseparability in understanding between social work and sociology, especially in areas such as marriage and family, gender, age, education, deviant behavior, leisure, socialization, personality, social groups, lifestyle and health, youth, regulatory mechanisms, etc. We conclude our paper with special reference to the relationship between sociology and social work from the perspective of Bosnian society.