Multicultural social work practice and South Asian migrants in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

This paper explores how multicultural social work responds to the needs and structural issues faced by South Asian migrants in Hong Kong. Three working approaches, namely, the problem-solving approach, the strengths-based approach, and the rights-based approach are identified from our empirical data. The analyses demonstrate the generally insufficient awareness of the practice in critically addressing existing policies and power relations based on race. Moreover, there is a lack of critical reflection on the notion of culture and social workers’ ethnocentric biases. This paper argues that this insufficient awareness could lead to reinforcement of the existing social exclusion of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. Using Hong Kong as an example, this paper reflects on the implications of applying Western-based literature and practice model in a non-Western society.

本文探讨多元文化社会工作如何回应香港南亚移民的需要以及其面对的结构性问题。基于经验资料，本文把现有的工作取向归纳为三类：问题解决取向，优势为本取向与权利为本取向。本文的分析显示，社会工作实践总体而言对批判性地回应现有政策以及种族权力关系缺乏足够意识；此外，也缺乏对文化概念和族裔中心主义偏见的批判性反思。本文认为，意识不足有可能会加强香港主流社会对少数族裔人士的排斥。本文也以香港为例, 反思了西方学术研究与实践模式在非西方社会中的应用意义。

KEYWORDS:

• Multicultural social work
• cultural competence
• ethnic minority
• South Asian migrants
• cultural assimilation
• critical multiculturalism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This article benefits from the fieldwork of two research projects; Socio-spatial Embeddings of Economic Actions: South Asian Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong, funded by Hong Kong Research Grants Council [grant no. GRF-HKIEd841609], and A Study of Ethnic Economy of Disadvantaged Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong: Exploring Experiences in the Process of Social Integration, funded by University Grants Committee [grant no. UGC/FDS11/H02/15].