This unique study of social work provides a bold and challenging view of the subject from an anthropological perspective. Combining research and personal reflection, the book explores cultural and symbolic representations of social work, evolving identities of social work practitioners and the ways in which they and society now view one another. The book provides a history of social work and asks how we address the taken-for-granted nature of social work. The influences of the state, social policy, and public perceptions (including users of social work services) on social work are explored. It ... More

This unique study of social work provides a bold and challenging view of the subject from an anthropological perspective. Combining research and personal reflection, the book explores cultural and symbolic representations of social work, evolving identities of social work practitioners and the ways in which they and society now view one another. The book provides a history of social work and asks how we address the taken-for-granted nature of social work. The influences of the state, social policy, and public perceptions (including users of social work services) on social work are explored. It focuses on issues relating to social work education and training in the UK and, comparatively, in a few other countries, and explores views of social workers and social work students about socialisation into the profession. It looks at issues of identity for social workers and explores social work values. The book goes on to explore what social workers say about relationships and partnerships, and how they explain the significance of these concepts to social work, and moves on to consider policies and strategies underpinning social work research and evidence-based or evidence-informed practice. Further investiagtion is given to organisation, symbols and 'cultural representation', before the book concludes by reflecting on why social work and social workers continue to be relevant to society on local, national, and international levels.