Social Work in a Corporate Era

A striking new feature of the welfare systems in many Western countries is the extent to which market relations have permeated social services. Conceptions of 'risk management' now dominate the way parents and children are responded to, while new technologies aim to 'measure' their relationship with state service providers. Bureaucratic control is increasing, while resources are reduced. These factors have led to the demise of the traditional role of the social worker as one who engages with the client in a supportive encounter. Professional competence within social work is increasingly tied to 'mastering' scientific knowledge and new technical skills. The result of collaboration between authors from Canada, Britain and Australia, Social Work in a Corporate Era offers a critical overview of these developments and their implications. It provides a re-evaluation of the assumptions and practices of the critical social work tradition and explores the possibility of rebuilding an 'emancipatory' social work. The authors aim to disentangle the debate between Marxism, feminism and antiracism, in the context of both postmodern challenges and the corporate restructuring of the welfare state. Calling for the development of a new politics of social work practice, this book addresses many of the urgent issues facing welfare state practitioners in health and social services today.

ISBN 0754638839   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9780754638834 (What's this?)   Pages 180 Publisher Ashgate Publishing Group   Volumes 001 Imprint Ashgate Publishing Limited   Published in Aldershot Format Hardback   Series title Contemporary Social Work Studies Publication date 28 Oct 2004   Height (mm) 234 Library of Congress HV40.S6178   Width (mm) 156 DEWEY 361.3   Academic level General, Tertiary education

		Introduction by Linda Davies and Peter Leonard
1		The uses of theory and the problems of pessimism by Peter Leonard		3
2		Critical reflection and transformative possibilities by Jan Fook		16
3		Post-theories for practice : challenging the dogmas by Nigel Parton		31
4		Subject-to-subject : reclaiming the emotional terrain for practice by Linda Davies and Sara Collings		45
5		Whose side are you on? : politicized identities by Michele Gnanamuttu		59
6		Texts and power : toward a critical theory of language by Anthony Pare		76
7		The reprofessionalization of social work : collaborative approaches for achieving professional recognition by Karen Healy and Gabrielle Meagher		91
8		Older women negotiating uncertainty in everyday life : contesting risk management systems by Amanda Grenier		111
9		Disrupting the narrative of white tutelage : reflections on post-colonial social work education by Laura Mastronardi		128
10		Social work practice and research as an emancipatory process by Kamal Fahmi		144
		A concluding reflection by Linda Davies and Peter Leonard		160

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