Culture and Social Work

Abstract

In this chapter, we investigate the concepts of culture and explore the role that culture plays in contemporary social work practice. This chapter highlights the historical construction of the concept of culture from 1990 to 2000 and contemporary understanding of culture across disciplines. We explore the idea of culture in anthropological research, in sociological research and in the fields of psychology and communication. Considering the expansion of market in all spheres of life, the chapter will examine how social work intersects with other disciplines to look at culture and consider cross-cultural issues. We link the importance of the role of culture in the field of social work.