Social Welfare Practices in the Premodern Era (c. 1820–1920)

Abstract

Abstract In Chapter 5 of A Genealogy of the Good and Critique of Hubris, three broad movements in social welfare practices are identified: moral uplift, institutionalization, and environmentalism. Falling within the area of moral uplift are practices such as the Sunday school movement and the charity organization societies. Institutionalization (penitentiaries, insane asylums, almshouses, etc.) represents the government response to addressing social ills. Environmentalism informed such practices as the parks and playgrounds movement, the settlement house movement, and city missions. The transition period to the Modern Discourse is examined with a focus upon how the insights derived from the scientific method were poorly applied. Moral blind spots are seen as social control in the form of cultural imperialism arising from measuring deviance from an ideal standard. Lastly, reflections are offered as to how insights from this period can be applied today by social workers to improve their practice.