{"title":"Responding to the Natural World","authors":"Tim Walsh","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch003","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter seeks to help social workers adopt a wider eco-centric perspective which affirms human connectedness to the natural world, with a dual focus on ecological and social justice. It examines when, where, and how humans came to see themselves as separate and superior to the rest of nature, and the disastrous consequences now evident on a global scale. The alienation from nature is found to begin within early western civilizations and exacerbated with the growth of commerce and empires and the displacement and destruction of peoples with deep knowledge and respect for the natural world. Social workers are well placed to work at the interface between people and the wider natural environment and to embrace the knowledge and contributions of other disciplines and groups working for just causes. It is concluded that help for humans is only possible within a wider remit of care for the natural world essential to all life. A local example of ecologically informed social work is shared, helping community gardeners to grow and share food.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123526468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Looking Back to Keep Moving . . . And It May Not Be “Forward”","authors":"Jacques Boulet","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch014","url":null,"abstract":"In this concluding chapter, the author looks back over the content of the 13 preceding chapters of the volume and reflects on the process of assembling them. Rather than offer an interpretative summary that would dilute their contextual specificity, the various “recontextualization stories” should be read on their own. Instead, five global “predicaments” with which all social work practice accounts in the volume directly, indirectly, and intersectionally are addressed: the pandemic, the crises in global capitalism, racism and other “embodied” social antagonisms, war and conflict, and the ecology. A second section briefly speculates about the consequences of the convergence of the several predicaments whilst the final section offers thoughts about the need to evolve a “relational” approach to professional social work, proposing that the real meaning of the “social” that refers to the authors' “work” entails their professional attempts across all their intervention modes to restore people's relational capabilities.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121426026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recontextualizing Social Work in a Globalized World","authors":"Kate Saxton","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch010","url":null,"abstract":"As the professional agenda of social work continues to spread globally, certain voices are privileged in the construction of what constitutes valid social work practice and education. Within the South Pacific Islands, the ongoing colonial legacy, engagement with foreign aid, and influence of globalization contribute to an environment where Western models of social work may supersede or drown out efforts to integrate models of Western and non-Western practice. Despite the trend to adopt Western models of practice, the neo-liberal prerogative underpinning many such approaches fails to address issues of social and ecological injustice. In response, Pacific constructions of social work encourage a more relational and collaborative model of practice with a focus on social connection rather than ‘outcome'. Ultimately, in the context of increasing globalization, the social work profession should foster a rich and diverse understanding of social work practice by embracing indigenous and localized understandings of research, education, and practice.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126425430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Power, Politics, and Social Work","authors":"Silvana Martínez","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch012","url":null,"abstract":"In this chapter some reflections are examined linking social work with power and politics. These reflections are raised from a Latin American and decolonial perspective. The urgency and the need to reinvent social work around the world is argued in view of the deepening of social inequalities caused by a capitalist-colonial-patriarchal social order. Likewise, the need to build a political view of social work is argued, as well as a greater commitment to social movements and their struggles to transform these social inequalities and the current social order. Theoretical reflections are accompanied by historical evidence that illustrates these struggles, as well as experiences of professional practices of social work. These reflections are also linked to the themes of the global agenda for social work and social development, as well as the world definition of social work by the International Federation of Social Workers.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132385706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Social Work in the Anthropocene","authors":"J. Ife","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch013","url":null,"abstract":"The reality of the Anthropocene hangs over our heads as we enter the 2020s. Humanity is facing multiple crises, and it has become clear that political and government structures are incapable of dealing with them adequately and equitably. We are seeing the erosion of the liberal democratic state and its institutions, the appeal of populism, mistrust both of politicians and of political institutions, and powerful interests responding by increasing surveillance, secrecy, and control. The Anthropocene also challenges the anthropocentrism that has been taken for granted in the world view of Western modernity, but is proving to be unsustainable and indeed harmful to human and non-human flourishing. This presents a new set of challenges for social work, if it is to remain relevant to the needs of the society, and also to remain true to its value base. This chapter argues that social work needs to explore and adopt theory/practice that is community-based, political, anarchistic, decolonised, matriarchal, and grounded in an ecological epistemology that is both Indigenous and post-human.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"130 6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130219901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recontextualization","authors":"Linette Ann Hawkins","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch001","url":null,"abstract":"The concept of recontextualization has received minimal attention in social work literature. Exploring the practical and political ways in which social work has been re-constructed in contexts different to mainstream human services is the focus of this chapter. By linking recontextualization with social work, the authors are extending its meaning beyond what it had come to mean to date. Reflecting upon the authors' lived praxis experience provides insights into how their wish to explore recontextualization in social work features at different stages in their own journeys. Contributions from social workers in Africa, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Australia provide a kaleidoscope of ways in which social work is being recontextualized. Some of the ways they achieve this is by reframing social work within the post-human space and integrating Ubuntu philosophy, which highlights Indigenous knowledge, wisdom, and relationships encompassing all people and their environments, enabling interconnectedness and community solidarity for collective power in professional practice and political activism.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130821359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Social Work Practice in the Compensation Context","authors":"Olga Gountras","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch006","url":null,"abstract":"There are multiple synergies between social work and the law, and the two professions have common goals. The law underpins social work practice via legislation and legal processes. Despite this, social work services in a plaintiff law firm remains a unique practice setting. This chapter provides a description of the establishment of such a service in Australia. It explains the reason for it, how it was established, the practice model, spheres of influence, and reasons for its success. The service is a role model for successful multidisciplinary practice for better client outcomes.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130535068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Eco-Disasters","authors":"H. Goodman","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch004","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter seeks to encourage social workers to review their often (enforced) siloed roles in relation to communities of place and to develop stronger senses about the relationships and networks in places where those they serve actually live. The author offers a picture of force fields, system tensions which shape organizational and community life in particular ways, ways which diminish community life, and those who seek to serve community, and she provides examples from her practice experience in pre and post disaster environments. Where social workers can contribute to strengthening community networks, this will contribute to a quality of life for those they serve and then strengthen the capability of community responsiveness to a disaster. Seeing, valuing, and using these links may allow social workers to make subtle but important contributions to the field of emergency management.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"144 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123273786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ecological Social Work in South Africa and the Way Forward","authors":"Linda Arkert, Issie Jacobs","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch008","url":null,"abstract":"Internationally, social work has been delayed in engaging with ecological social work. The delay is reflected in South Africa, which is predicted to be a hot spot where the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are already being experienced. The effects of climate change and environmental degradation are social and environmental justice issues as the marginalized and poor in this country and the world have already been experiencing dire consequences. Social work practitioners and academics, in their roles as advocates for the marginalized and the poor, are therefore duty-bound to act for a sustainable environment for both people and the planet. In this chapter, the authors examine ecological social work in South Africa, its importance, and how it could become part of the global call for an ecological social work approach.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128503689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"It's Like Felting","authors":"E. Orr","doi":"10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6784-5.ch005","url":null,"abstract":"This is a personal story describing the role and importance of local action whilst reflecting on collective and collaborative feminist community practices. The craft of felting is used as a metaphor for merging feminist social and community work theory and practices that encourage engagement with continuing cycles of activism aimed towards gender equality and Indigenous sovereignty. Following a rough chronology of engagement with movements for social change and respect for human and environmental rights, this chapter points to the value of post modernists' treatise of doubt, tension, and uncertainty. It also contains a plea for a continuation of the modernist social work activism to decrease suffering and inequality. Narrating and evaluating the ideas and actions of real-time practice, the author will demonstrate how knowledge of place, process, and strength in work towards interpersonal peace and planetary survival was achieved.","PeriodicalId":113536,"journal":{"name":"Practical and Political Approaches to Recontextualizing Social Work","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130992929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}