Translations in social work

ABSTRACT

This article is concerned with the relation between classical texts within social work and the interpretation of these classics in contemporary literature. It aims to explore how classical texts influence and work in our perception of, and writing about, our history, but also how they influence our perception of social work today. A study is made of Mary Richmond’s classic text Social diagnosis [1917. Social diagnosis. New York, NY: The Russell Sage Foundation] and later interpretations of her text in secondary literature. Through this analysis, a grand narrative within the effective history of social work: social work as a ‘borrowing field’ is questioned. Using translation theory as an alternative to the borrowing metaphor, I analyze the transference of ideas and concepts from other disciplines into social work and how these processes have been perceived. The dynamic processes of translation places social work within an interdisciplinary field, where ideas and concepts are continually exchanged between disciplines. It is the thesis of this article that research into authorities within the discipline and early contributions to the development of social work strengthen the discipline’s insight into past and current theoretical contributions within the discipline itself and the knowledge base of social work.

SAMMENDRAG

Artikkelen tar for seg forholdet mellom klassiske tekster innen sosialt arbeid og fortolkningen av disse klassikerne i moderne litteratur. Hensikten er å utforske hvordan klassiske tekster påvirker og virker inn på vår oppfatning av og hvordan vi skriver om fagets historie, men også hvordan de påvirker vår oppfatning av sosialt arbeid i dag. Artikkelen foretar en studie av Mary Richmonds klassiker Social Diagnosis (1917) og senere fortolkninger av denne teksten i sekundærlitteraturen. Gjennom denne analysen, settes det spørsmålstegn ved en dominerende narrativ knyttet til sosialt arbeids virkningshistorie: sosialt arbeid som et ‘lånefag’. Ved å anvende translasjonsteori som et alternativ til lånemetaforen, analyserer jeg overføringen av ideer og begreper fra andre disipliner over til sosialt arbeid, og hvordan disse prosessene har blitt oppfattet. Translasjonsperspektivet plasserer sosialt arbeid innenfor et interdisiplinært felt der ideer og begreper kontinuerlig utveksles mellom disipliner. Artikkelen hevder at forskning på autoriteter innenfor faget og tidlige bidrag til utviklingen av sosialt arbeid styrker fagets innsikt i både fortidige og nåtidige teoretiske bidrag fra disiplinen selv, og i kunnskapsbasen i sosialt arbeid.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work
• knowledge base
• translation
• hermeneutics
• borrowing field

NØKKELORD:

• Sosialt arbeid
• kunnskapsbase
• translasjon
• hermeneutikk
• lånefag

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Siri Fjeldheim holds a Masters degree in social work, awarded from HiOA in 2013. Her PhD-thesis, in social work and social policy(HiOA), is about the construction and mediation of knowledge in social work, focusing on theoretical contributions from within the discipline, and is due to be delivered September 2017. She worked for several years within the Norwegian welfare system, as a counselor, with a prevention of drug abuse project, and as assistant department manager. In 2008, she started working at HiOA, the last three years as a PhD-fellow. Her publication ‘The Theoretical Foundation of Social Casework’ appeared in a special issue of Nordic Social Work Research in 2015.

Notes

1 Address at the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, at the 40 annual session held in Baltimore, Maryland, May 12–19, 1915.