The History of Social Work and Social Welfare

Abstract

Social work as a profession grew chiefly out of the development of social welfare policies and programs in the United States, Europe, and Muslim countries. Judeo-Christian and Muslim practices and beliefs underlie many of the early attempts to provide help to the poor, the sick, widows, orphans, the “insane” and “imbeciles” (as those with problems of mental illness and developmental disability used to be called) and the elderly. This history begins with a discussion of the development of social welfare in Middle Eastern and European countries and then moves to the transfer of social welfare policies and practices to the New World of the American colonies. We then discuss the transition from the work of government officials and “people of good will,” who both helped and regulated those who were needy, to the creation of the profession of social work as we know it today. Two thousand years before the birth of Christ, a ruler of Babylonia named Hammurabi madetheprotectionofwidowsandorphansanessentialpartofhiscode.TheAncientGreeks and Romans were similarly concerned about helping the needy. The Roman statesman Cicero (106‐43 b.c.) described man as a social animal who should “cooperate with and assist his fellow men.” From Cicero we get the scripture that it is more blessed to give than to receive. As the social welfare historian Walter Trattner notes, “the words ‘philanthropy’ and ‘charity’ and the concepts for which they stand B love of mankind, love of humanity, brotherhood B are of Greek and Latin origin” (Trattner, 1999, pp. 1‐2). The Arab world has also contributed to charitable traditions. Islamic thought draws a distinction between social justice and charity. The faith has a strong tradition of social reform, based on the Prophet Muhammad’s advocacy on behalf of women, children, and the disadvantaged. This tradition is operationalized through the requirement that all Muslims who are financially able shall contribute 2.5% of their net wealth each year for support of the needy. This practice, called zakah, is not considered to be charity but rather an act of social justice through the redistribution of wealth. Any contributions in addition are seen as charity, or sadaqa, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Koran lists eight categories of uses to which charitable contributions can be put: aid to the poor, the needy, those who collect the contributions, “those whose hearts must be reconciled,” debtors, wayfarers, the redemption of captives, and “for God’s cause” (Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2000; Augustine, 2002; Canda & Furman, 1999, pp. 137‐138; Stillman, 1975). Social historian Walter Trattner emphasizes the importance of Jewish tradition in the development of modern philanthropy. Ancient Jewish doctrines, he notes, teach the duty of giving and “equally important, the right of those in need to receive.” Throughout the