Suchergebnisse

As is perhaps the case in most disciplines today, there are a number of contradictory, but yet interacting, forces in social work in the academy that might shed some light on the changes in etiquette and demeanor we currently encounter. Differing, contrasting, or even warring paradigms, inter-professional power struggles, and unbridled competition have all resulted in an unprecedented level of incivility. Confronted with the many social ills of today, social work in the academy remains entangled in internal tensions and appears not to be able to lead the way in addressing those ills. Can any explanations be provided that might move social workers in the academy to new understandings and resolutions? Can new examples be set for the practitioners of tomorrow?

In the 1980s, the empirical research paradigm began to be questioned. The postmodernist debate in social work has legitimized the valuing of differences, admitting of many realities. Minority voices have become more articulate; local metaphors are replacing universal ones. Higher education reports on scholarship now advise universities to broaden their paradigms to encompass different ways of building knowledge.

The domain of social work is characterized as the zone in which people interact with their environment and where incongruities between social needs and social provisions exist. The rural social work specialty is discussed within this rubric, and exceptions, because of the special nature of the rural environment, are noted.