Exploring Social Work: An Anthropological Perspective

by Linda Bell

Overview

Exploring various aspects of social work from an anthropological perspective, this original book uses an ‘outsider’ position to develop a reflexive dialogue with social workers from England and elsewhere in Europe. Bell, an anthropologist, worked alongside social work educators and social workers for many years. She widens our insights into social work by offering thought-provoking examples suggesting how social work practitioners view their occupation and their practice, and how wider society views them. Blending research and personal reflection to critically examine social workers’ preoccupations and contributions to society, the author explores identities and definitions in social work, making this book refreshing reading for academics, researchers, students and practitioners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781447350750
Publisher:	Policy Press
Publication date:	02/12/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Linda Bell is an anthropologist and retired Associate Professor, now a Research Fellow and Visiting Academic in the School of Health and Education, Middlesex University.

Table of Contents

Who are “social workers”? Why do we need them? Getting involved: an auto-ethnographic enquiry; Time and change : UK social work and comparative social work cultures since 1990; Becoming: being admitted, trained and accepted as a social worker; Identifying: professional identity/ies; Valuing and transgressing: practice and research values, and ‘becoming unfit’ to practice; Practising and relating: Social workers and relationships; Partnering: Social workers, other professionals and clients/ service users; Knowing and evidencing: building a research base, mapping and modelling; Symbolising: cultural representations in theory and in practice; Organising: the development of national and international associations; Changing: Social work and the public, anthropological reflections & conclusions on an ever changing profession – the future?

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A unique anthropological approach that explores the diversity of social work and the intricate processes that motivate and shape people into social workers.” Marek Perlinski, Umeå University

"Of great value to anyone who wants to engage in serious reflection on what it means to be a social worker, including prospective and practicing social workers." John Chandler, University of East London

Editorial Reviews

This is a fascinating and challenging book… offers a detailed, rich and complex portrait of social work in contemporary society.” European Journal of Social Work

“Linda Bell offers a new perspective on a long-standing question: What is social work?... For readers outside of the UK and Europe, the book offers a foil to compare, contrast, and query the different policies and ideologies that distinguish social work across the globe, in addition to highlighting the challenge of social work as an embodiment of social work regimes.” Affilia

“Bell's personal perspective of anthropological reflections and author polemics invites the reader to consider their own perspective. This I feel means that this book should have a big appeal for a diversity of audiences… Some texts on the first time of reading feel like they are books that you will return to time and time again and this is one such text.” Journal of Social Work

From the Publisher