History Of Social Work Research Articles

Using Prosopography to Raise the Voices of Those Erased in Social Work History

In this article, we introduce prosopography, a valuable historical research method that can be used by feminist social work scholars. While feminists in various fields use this methodology to investigate background characteristics of women in history through collective studies of how they have established relationships and networks to influence change, our review of the literature suggests that it has been little used in social work. We provide a brief overview of prosopography, strengths and limitations, and an illustration of the method as enacted focusing on the roles of early feminists within the development of nonprofit human service organizations. It is our intent to demonstrate the possibilities of prosopography to identify and understand groups of women who have been erased in social work history.

Exploring Use of Self: Moving Beyond Definitional Challenges

ABSTRACTUse of self is a central concept throughout social work history and theory, yet no unified definition and little empirical research exist. Thus, a qualitative exploration was required. Three focus groups (n = 10) were conducted with experienced BSW educators. Participants defined use of self in the context of their students’ beginning social work practice. The findings suggest that use of self incorporates personal self qualities such as openness, self-reflectiveness, attunement to others, commitment, and emotional maturity, and results in professional capacities such as nurturing the social worker–client relationship, reflective practice, and practice wisdom. Use of self is the integration of theory and practice embodied in the social worker and enacted in the worker-client relationship.

New Directions in Catholic Historical Research: Saints in Social Work

ABSTRACTFor over half a century now, the profession of social work has ignored calls to develop critical infrastructures for strengthening and expanding historical research in schools of social work. Since World War II, for example, doctoral dissertations involving significant historical research in schools of social work have become virtually extinct. The vanishing of these dissertations represents a simultaneous vanishing of social work's capacity to detect historical figures who are indigenous to and yet have remained undetected in social work history. As a result, and unintentionally, social work scholars have been seemingly unable to detect Louise de Marillac as the patron saint of social workers or Ellen Gates Starr as a popular folk saint among social workers in Catholic religious orders. The study includes the rare, post-mortem photograph of Ellen Gates Starr, dressed in the full habit of a Catholic Benedictine nun.

Translations in social work

ABSTRACTThis article is concerned with the relation between classical texts within social work and the interpretation of these classics in contemporary literature. It aims to explore how classical texts influence and work in our perception of, and writing about, our history, but also how they influence our perception of social work today. A study is made of Mary Richmond’s classic text Social diagnosis [1917. Social diagnosis. New York, NY: The Russell Sage Foundation] and later interpretations of her text in secondary literature. Through this analysis, a grand narrative within the effective history of social work: social work as a ‘borrowing field’ is questioned. Using translation theory as an alternative to the borrowing metaphor, I analyze the transference of ideas and concepts from other disciplines into social work and how these processes have been perceived. The dynamic processes of translation places social work within an interdisciplinary field, where ideas and concepts are continually exchanged between disciplines. It is the thesis of this article that research into authorities within the discipline and early contributions to the development of social work strengthen the discipline’s insight into past and current theoretical contributions within the discipline itself and the knowledge base of social work.

‘Let Us Go Then, You and I’ – Journeying with Ada Eliot Sheffield

My purpose in this article is to illustrate how framing social work in the life world of Ada Sheffield, a largely forgotten woman, yields not only knowledge and understanding, but may exemplify a way of doing social work history. The article draws on two kinds of material. First, I have developed a provisional, if still incomplete, bibliography of her work, included as an annex to this article. Second, I have searched the various Eliot archives in the USA and England to discover what survives of her correspondence. Through her surviving correspondence with her brother, T S (‘Tom’) Eliot, I take Ada Sheffield’s life experiences and thoughts – her self-consciousness – as the frame, wishing insistently to hear her voice. The article is written largely around a single year, which acts as a point of balance for her life. I conclude with several more direct suggestions for social work implications. I briefly attempt an outline of what would constitute her intellectual biography.

Hiroshi Urabe (1905–2002): radical pioneer in Japanese social work history

In this article, I will look at the contribution Hiroshi Urabe made to the analysis of social work in Japan, both theoretically and practically. His Marxist approach to radical social work, founded on his harsh experience in the pre- and interwar periods, was based overwhelmingly upon a democratic commitment to social justice and human rights with service users’ grass-roots movements.

Проблема періодизації в історіографії історії соціальної роботи

Проблема періодизації в історіографії історії соціальної роботи

Periodization of the development of the social protection system: Contribution to the study of the recent history of social protection in the Republic of Srpska

The social protection system in Republic of Srpska shares the fate of other areas of social policy. It emerged on the legacy of the institutional-legal and value system of the former socialist society, which developed under the influence of unfavorable social processes and frequent interventions by international institutions. War events that marked the creation period of the Republic of Srpska had a decisive influence on the practice and content of social protection measures, and the collapse of the old political and value system and its transition to the neoliberal ideological concept of 'the state's (not) caring for citizens,' created new and intensified already existing social problems. Under such conditions, the social protection system has faced a very demanding task, which refers to: How to provide social security to the socially most vulnerable members of society? The four stages in the development of this system are determined by the system's efforts to answer this question. The study of the development of the social protection system is a contribution to the understanding of the processes and content of the measures that the state has sought to improve the systematic care of the socially most vulnerable groups of citizens. It is an attempt to explain the current state of the system and its future development as part of a continuing process. It is also a contribution to the history of social work and social policy of the Republic of Srpska. The criteria used in the preparation of this periodization were related primarily to the state of the system, system solutions and the achieved level of customer support. Data periodization provides insight into the key moments that have determined the twenty-five-year development of the social protection system of the Republic of Srpska. During the analysis, available official documents of the institutions of the system were used, as well as reports of project activities of non-governmental organizations and personal testimonies of direct actors of events and creators of system solutions in the field of Social protection.

A contemporary history of social work: Learning from the past Terry Bamford

A contemporary history of social work: Learning from the past <i>Terry Bamford</i>

Transnational histories of social work and social welfare – An introduction

Social work and social welfare emerged as institutions of modern nation-states, circumscribed by nation-state borders and inscribed in specific local and regional contexts; as such they have been e...

Social Work in Latin America: Styles of conversion and resistance

This article focuses on the history of social work in Latin America, as a branch of knowledge and as a caring profession. A few critical, if not openly polemical, issues are at stake. The discussion will highlight the field of social work from two angles: first, as a system of thought connecting concepts, theories, and ideological lineages to major issues of political and social policy import; second, as a professional complex, comprising embattled or firmly established territories of public action. In both cases, theoretical and analytical derailments, or indeed collisions with the social science, and particularly social policy, literature, should call for a much-needed revamping in the field.The discussion will bring the international literature to light, when – and only if – insights or questionings may touch upon the Latin-American scenario.

Social Transformation from the inside Out

This essay is based on a paper delivered in 2014 as part of a panel celebrating the 10th anniversary of the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI) and discussing critical pedagogy and qualitative research methods oriented toward social transformation. In this essay, I briefly examine the history of social work and its relationship to inquiry and pedagogy, my own academic biography, and the twinning of two scholarly initiatives, ICQI and the journal Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice. I argue that the individual transformations and networks that have been nurtured in a decade of ICQI gatherings—taken as a collective whole—offer an exemplar of social transformation grounded in critical pedagogy and qualitative research methods.

Discovering health social work in New Zealand in its published work: Implications for the profession

Social work in health care has been a significant field of practice within social work in New Zealand since the 1940s. This paper reports on a project inspired by a fruitless search for a current discussion on the development of health social work in New Zealand. Analysis of a bibliographic search reveals an interesting history of health social work, as it emerged as an extension of the nursing role. Five distinct periods of development are identified through analysis of the literature. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of challenges and opportunities for health social work.

PhD Versus DSW: A Critique of Trends in Social Work Doctoral Education

ABSTRACTSocial work educators are in a phase of reintroducing the doctor of social work (DSW) degree and refining distinctions between PhD and DSW doctoral programs. This article examines how the two options have been prey to a noticeable seesaw of precedence, resulting in a debatable history of social work’s approach to doctoral education that is yet to be discussed in a manner leading to the profession’s acknowledgment of the quandary. It is essential for those in social work education to be progressive and abreast of emergent needs; however, it is also critical to be cognizant of the far-reaching implications associated with major educational shifts to avoid an identity crisis stemming from outside criticism potentially similar to Abraham Flexner’s report on social work’s ambiguity as a profession.

Career interview. Ann Hartman, a biography of ideas: Archiving intellectual history. Co-constructed with Catherine K Riessman and Karen M Staller

Ann Hartman is a major figure in the history of Social Work in the United States and, due to translations of her writings, a major contributor to direct practice elsewhere in the world. Dr Hartman was interviewed by Catherine Riessman as part of Qualitative Social Work's career interviews project. Looking at the interview, we decided—in the spirit of co-construction—to preserve in certain sections the conversational nature of the exchange but also to offer historical context and other commentary in order to give readers––who might be less familiar with Dr Hartman's life and times––additional information. Dr Hartman's commitment to social work practice has had a global impact. Her scholarship offered new tools to social work practitioners, in particular the eco-map. In addition, she provided strong moral authority and leadership for social workers in the academy by emphasizing epistemological diversity and taking a stand on politically controversial topics with forceful conviction.

A Contemporary History of Social Work: Learning from the Past, Terry Bamford

A Contemporary History of Social Work: Learning from the Past, Terry Bamford

Professional Resistance in Social Work: Counterpractice Assemblages.

The goal of this article is to deepen understanding of the concept of professional resistance. Studies show that social workers in various parts of the world are increasingly confronted with regulations, programs, and policies that challenge their ability to carry out their professional mission in an ethical manner. Social workers may also find themselves under the pressure of periodic retrenchment resulting from budgetary constraints and subjected to worsening working conditions and threats of wage or social benefit reduction. Therefore, it is not surprising that social workers are sometimes required to engage in actions to oppose these negative realities or, in other words, to practice professional resistance. However, despite its growing relevance, the term "professional resistance" remains both theoretically obscure and marginal to social work practice. This article traces the presence of the concept in social work history, examines divergent uses of the concept in social work literature, introduces theoretical perspectives that may help practitioners enlarge their professional repertoire, provides concrete cases of resistance in different contexts, and finally proposes some paths to professional resistance.

Los museos como factor de integración social del arte en la comunidad. La experiencia del Voluntariado cultural de mayores

Tras abordar la revisión de los museos como instituciones culturales encargadas de conservar la memoria cultural y su evolución a lo largo del tiempo, el artículo describe la práctica cultural que se está produciendo en el entorno español para realizar la difusión del arte, su reproducción y la transmisión de cultura, la historia y la identidad y el papel primordial que están desempeñando paulatinamente las personas mayores en una sociedad española cada vez más envejecida. Estas nuevas actividades de fortalecimiento social, a partir del voluntariado de las personas mayores, están relacionadas con la «generatividad » (potencialidad de una generación) que, por este medio, la persona y los grupos sociales adquieren nuevas competencias, lo que permite hacer más fuerte a una sociedad para todas las edades. Nunca, en la historia del Trabajo Social, han existido tantas personas mayores dispuestas a participar activa y comunitariamente y nunca ha pasado tan desapercibido para tantos agentes sociales un movimiento social de estas características.

Community Practice in the Bulldozer’s Shadow: The History and Legacy of Social Work in Urban Renewal

Social work has a long history of involvement in urban development policy, dating to the settlement house movement. This article explores a neglected part of this history by analyzing the role of social work in urban renewal programs. The functions of social work in urban renewal—including relocating families displaced by slum clearance and community organizing to foster resident input in planning—reflect enduring tensions in practice between social justice and social control. Implications for current practice are explored as the profession continues to define its part in urban redevelopment policies.

The History of Gendered Social Science: a personal narrative and some reflections on method

The history of the relationships between social work, social reform, social policy and social science contains an important story about the contributions of men and women, and about the ways in which masculinist social science and policy came to dominate the activities of women reformers and social scientists. This article focuses on a moment in this history, a conflict at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the 1950s about the future of social work education. A key figure in this was the author's father, Richard Titmuss. The article draws on biography, autobiography and intellectual/institutional history, raising some methodological issues about this approach to uncovering hidden stories; it also argues that the conflict at LSE, a painfully remembered episode in the history of social work, cannot be understood except in the context of the gendered story of ‘the socials’.