Social work for critical peace: a comparative approach to understanding social work and political conflict

ABSTRACT

This paper uses a case study approach to explore issues of social work policy and practice in three sites of political conflict in Europe: Northern Ireland; Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Cyprus. It begins with a review of the international literature on social work and political conflict and then discusses the strengths and limitations in engaging with comparative case study approaches. The authors explain how they view the writing of the paper as an intellectual encounter that helped establish the beginning stages of their comparative analysis. This starts with an analysis of the existing knowledge base about the three case studies that each share similar patterns of colonial histories, political and community conflict and the social work response. The second part of the paper extends this analysis to a critique of the impact of neo-liberal social and economic policies that often adversely impact upon the role of social workers in resolving conflict and building peace. The paper concludes with an appeal for social work to rediscover its rights-based role in working with victims and survivors of political conflict, what the authors describe as: ‘social work for critical peace’.

SAŽETAK

Autori članka koriste komparativnu studiju slučaja kako bi analizirali politiku i praksu socijalnog rada u Europskim zemljama koje su iskusile nasilne političke sukobe (Bosna i Herzegovina, Kipar, te Sjeverna Irska). Uvodni dio članka sadrži pregled međunarodne literature o socijalnom radu i političkim sukobima, te pregled prednosti i nedostataka komparativnih međunarodnih istraživanja. Autori potom objašnjavaju svoj pristup komparativnoj analizi prezentiranoj u ovom članku, zasnovanoj na postojećim iskustvima i znanju u tri zemlje koje su fokus njihove analize. Njihova analiza ukazuje na sličnosti između ta tri različita konteksta, uključujući kolonijalnu povijest, iskustva nasilnih političkih sukoba, te slični odnos socijalnih radnika prema stručnom radu u takvom kontekstu. Drugi dio članka fokusira se na kritiku utjecaja neoliberalnih socijalnih i ekonomskih politika koje često imaju razoran utjecaj na ulogu socijalnih radnika, pogotovo u odnosu na izgradnju mira i rješavanje sukoba. U zaključnom dijelu, autori zagovaraju praksu socijalnog rada u područjima pogođenim političkim sukobima koja je zasnovana na ljudskim pravima – praksu koji oni opisuju kao «socijalni rad za kritički promišljeni mir».

KEYWORDS:

• Political conflict
• human rights/social justice
• international social work

KLJUČNE RIJEČI:

• Politički sukob
• ljudska prava/društvena pravda
• medjunarodni socijalni rad

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Jim Campbell is Professor of Social Work at University College Dublin. He has teaching and research interests in the areas of mental health social work and social work and political violence.

Professor Vasilios Ioakimidis is the founding Chair and Director of the Centre for Social Work and Social Justice at the University of Essex. He is also a founder member of the Social Work Action Network and the Education co-Commissioner of the International Federation of Social Workers. Since 2014 he has been editing the International Social Work journal.

Reima Ana Maglajlic is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Sussex. Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of adult social work and social work and political conflict.

ORCID

Vasilios Ioakimidis http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0457-6782

Reima Ana Maglajlic http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4884-9586