Setting the Scene

Introduction

In an increasingly interdependent world, the domains of social work, social development and the social professions, more generally, are not immune from the global processes affecting whole societies and, more specifically, national welfare systems–or the lack of them–and the living standards and life chances of individuals, families, groups and communities. It is increasingly acknowledged that ‘social work’ is influenced by global trends and that many social problems are either common to different societies, or have an international dimension or even involve social professionals in transnational activities and international mobility. It is therefore timely to produce a Handbook which addresses the social issues which have an international aetiology or dimension; which analyses the international organisations, conventions and policies which impact on regional, transnational and national/local (social) developments; and which interrogates and illustrates a term which has a long genesis but unclear definition, ‘international social work’.

The purpose of this chapter is to orientate readers to the broad field of ‘international social work’, partly through offering a brief introduction to its origins and exponents, and centrally through exploring the various meanings that can be ascribed to the term, and some of the related concepts, e.g. ‘international perspectives'; ‘comparative social welfare'; and ‘social professionals'. We also present a preliminary analysis of some of the concerns and constructs which have particular significance in this context (e.g. globalisation and ‘glocalisation'; indigenisation; the global North and global South) and suggest that ideas of ‘space’ and ‘time’ are salient concepts in social work (i.e. geographical and historical factors in macro terms but also the micro space and time elements of individual and community lives). The role of constructs such as race, ethnicity, culture and religion in the context of globalisation and their relevance for international social work are discussed as are the relationship between values, diversity and power relations. Also, as a precursor to more detailed discussions later, we sketch out some of the important trends and comparative data about global [Page 2]issues which provide a backdrop to social interventions at global, regional and local levels. Finally, we describe the organisation of the book and give a brief preview of its contents.

Overall, this Handbook provides a ‘state of the art’ analysis of ‘international social work’ as a specialist form of professional practice. However, in a global context, the practices of all social professionals are increasingly influenced by macro-economic and political forces and informed by international conventions and the inter-relationships between nations and transnational communities. The Handbook also uses an international lens to view social work as a local activity and sometimes takes a comparative perspective to illustrate the diversity of social work theories and practices across the world. We should clarify now that ‘social work’ is used in this Handbook as a generic term for a diverse occupational group which takes many forms across the globe. The emphasis of work varies between countries and regions as do the challenges; social professionals have different training opportunities and traditions and are known by different titles; and they are employed in a varied range of settings and agencies with different conditions regarding public expectations, esteem and regulation. Even apparently shared values may be contested in the context of particular (national) cultures and agreement about a shared/international value base which does not simply perpetuate ‘Western’ ideologies and power (relative to the interests and claims of indigenous and/or minority populations) is an on-going challenge.<>

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