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AbstractThis preliminary study examined the process of constructing alternative discourses on social work. It focused on the exploration of Buddhist social work by researchers and practitioners in Asian countries, including monks and nuns. The present investigation was grounded in the analytical perspective of the social representation theory posited in the domain of social psychology. Books, reports, and any relevant papers written in English were collected as primary data sources (n = 22), and a qualitatively descriptive analysis was conducted on these data. The scrutiny specifically attended to the mechanism of familiarization, which comprises the process of anchoring and objectifying. The study's findings revealed the process of intentionally (re)naming activities and related events that were previously not necessarily described as Buddhist social work. These practices and occurrences were then classified and positioned within a particular cross‐border paradigm. Additionally, some monks, nuns, and other stakeholders became conversant with discussion and research activities related to Buddhist social work. Objectifying actions, such as (re)discovering and reproducing, thus became taken for granted by such functionaries. These findings suggest that cross‐border Buddhist social work discourses were actively constructed through the usage of relevant terms and concepts. In other words, the results of this study indicate that alternative discourse is internationally becoming the familiar form of discussion within the discipline.

AbstractThis pilot case study, as part of an international social work research project, explored how culturally relevant collaborative practices were perceived by international social workers. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with social workers (n = 4) who had worked as Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers for 2 years in another Asian country. Thematic analysis was applied to their narratives. Three main themes were found: 'socio‐cultural understanding based on local life and activities', 'collaborative practice with local stakeholders' and 'attitudes and perspectives at the local practice'. Although the background and context of the interviewees' activities differed, they stressed the importance of deepening their socio‐cultural understanding, together with learning local languages and deploying appropriate communication methods, through living in each locality and interacting with local people. They also described the process of exploring the collaborative activities through dialogue with local people, while taking a reflective view. These findings indicate the necessity for a deeper examination of collaborative practice by domestic and international social workers in various fields.

AbstractThe aim of this study is to explore the subjective and practical experiences of international social workers, focusing on the content, outcomes, impact, and related factors of their activities in Asia. Individual reports of social workers dispatched from Japan to 11 Asian countries during the period of 2003–2018 were collected (n = 59). A mixed quantitative and qualitative content analysis was used to examine their experiences and perceptions in the field. Parts of their reports were categorized mainly into the relationship between requested activities and perceived needs, the type of social work activities conducted, experiences of success and failure in activities, and perceived outcomes and impact of the activities. The quantitative analysis showed that approximately 48.9% of the social workers described positive outcomes of their activities and 43.9% described positive impacts of their activities on the placement or communities. The qualitative analysis revealed that they experienced a variety of difficulties, together with sociocultural and religious differences. Many of their experiences of success or failure appeared to be associated with their interactions with local stakeholders. The findings suggest the importance of the reflective and contextualized practice of international developmental social workers with local stakeholders.

This case study examines the integration of religion and spirituality (RS) into disability issues from the perspective of social work in Sri Lanka. Participant observation was applied in the model administrative division of the national community-based rehabilitation (CBR) program in Anuradhapura from February 2013 to January 2015. Theravada Buddhists constitute more than 99% of the population in the area studied. The participation opportunities included group activities, home visits to disabled people, and informal interviews with stakeholders. This study used the author's field notes, which were based on the participant observation. By applying qualitative analysis, episodes and narratives were summarized into two main categories: RS-related activities and secondary RS-related phenomena. We found that the possible functions of RS practices, by disabled people and the other stakeholders, were alternative education, promotion of participation, and a sense of unity. These findings suggest that integration can be the practice to reconstruct RS aspects in disability issues.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on people's lives around the world, has also affected international social work practice and research on social issues. This article explores how international social work research can draw lessons from bilateral research collaborations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, an international collaborative research project was commenced to examine the practical experiences of social workers in Sri Lanka, with the overall purpose of contributing to development of socio-culturally relevant social work training. Trial semi-structured interviews were conducted using remote tools with five social workers in government or private organisations. The narratives of the interviewees were qualitatively analysed to identify their personal backgrounds of social work education and practice, their experiences of working during the pandemic and their perspectives and values as social workers. Lessons learnt were discussed focussing on the objectives and perspectives of the study, the preliminary arrangements for the research, the methods and considerations. In a context where it is important for social work researchers to promote international studies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides an example of a feasible international cooperative study.