1st Edition
International Perspectives on Social Work and Political Conflict
International Perspectives on Social Work and Political Conflict provides an important basis for readers to recognise and understand the unique and specialist role that social workers have played and continue to play in international contexts of political conflict. Social workers make an important contribution in these difficult and sometimes dangerous situations across all continents. This book highlights the importance of social work in these very challenging contexts.
The first part of this book includes four chapters that summarise the existing knowledge base. The second part focuses on a case study of Northern Ireland where, for the first time, a detailed examination of the social work role was completed which involved researching the views of social work practitioners, managers and educators. Part three then draws together international experts in the field who have written chapters on those regions where social workers have been dealing with long standing periods of political conflict.
At a time when violent conflagrations are currently a feature of many countries and regions across the continents of the world, this book offers a critical view of the social work role in these contexts and should thus be considered essential reading for all social work academics, students and professionals working in conflict-affected societies.
Introduction; Joe Duffy and Jim Campbell; Chapter 1: International Perspectives on Social Work and Political Conflict Jim Campbell; Chapter 2: Social Work Practice and Political Conflict Joe Duffy; Chapter 3: Normalising the Abnormal: Two Accounts or Social Work Practice During the Conflict in Norther Ireland Carolyn Ewart and Patricia Higgins; Chapter 4: The Northern Irish Study: Voices of Social Work through the Troubles Joe Duffy, Jim Campbell and Carol Tosone; Chapter 5: Shared Trauma and Social Work Practice in Communal Disasters Carol Tosone; Chapter 6: Critical Reflection on the Social Work Experiences in Northern Ireland – Perspectives from Bosnia and Herzegovina Reima Ana Maglajlić and Sanela Čekić-Bašić; Chapter 7: Social Work and the Cyprus Problem: The Challenges of Reconciliation in the De Factor Divided and Crisis-Ridden Societies Vasilios Ioakimidis and Nicos Trimikliniotis; Chapter 8: The Israeli Context Merav Moshe Grodofsky; Chapter 9: Social Work in Palestine: An Emerging Professions in an Emerging State Sami Al-kilani; Chapter 10: The Role of Social Workers In and After Political Conflict in South Africa: Reflections Across the Fence Yasmin Turton and Adrian van Breda; Chapter 11: Tajikistan: Social Work, Conflict and Change in a Post-Soviet Independent State Alison McInnes; Chapter 12: Democratic Development and the Changing Engagement of Social Work in Hong Kong Raees Begum Baig; Chapter 13: Understanding the Social Work Role in War and Conflict: Towards Global Validation, Shared-Learning, and Policy Development Roray Truell; Index
Biography
Joe Duffy is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Queen’s University where his research concentrates on the involvement of service users/social work clients to help social work students understand difficult topics such as the impact of political conflict and trauma. In addition, as a recipient of an All Disciplines US-UK Fulbright Scholar 2018-19, Joe’s research concentrated on introducing service user involvement to the social work curriculum in the United States, working with New York University’s Silver School of Social Work and Belmont University’s Social Work Department, Nashville, Tennessee as pilot sites. In New York University, his research specifically focused on working with survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001.
Jim Campbell was appointed to the Chair of Social Work at UCD in January 2015. Before then he had been Professor of Social Work and Head of the Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London, and spent about 20 years teaching and researching social work at Queens University Belfast. He practised as a mental health social worker in Northern Ireland. Jim has two, broad teaching and research interests. He has published in the fields of mental health social work and policy, with a particular interest in related socio-legal studies. He was co-editor of the British Journal of Social Work from 2010-2015.
Carol Tosone is Professor and Director of the DSW Program in Clinical Social Work at NYU Silver School of Social Work. She is recipient of the NYU Distinguished Teaching Award, Distinguished Scholar in Social Work in the National Academies of Practice in Washington, DC., and Editor-in-Chief of the Clinical Social Work Journal.
