Discussing the relationship between social work and sociology, this book explores how the two have become more and more divided, moving from one single discipline, to two separate, but related, fields. Both sociology and social work focus on social problems, social structure, social integration and how individuals respond to and live within cultural and structural constraints. Today, both disciplines face the possibility of losing some of their most important characteristics to individualising trends, the disappearance of the importance of ‘the social’ and pressure towards solely evidence-based knowledge. In addition to casting light on areas that have been in the shadows of the mainstream narrative, the contributions to this book will raise new questions, contributing to continuing discussions between and within each discipline. This book was originally published as a special issue of Nordic Social Work Research.

Both sociology and social work focus on social problems, social structure, social integration and how individuals respond to and live within cultural and structural constraints. Today, both disciplines face the possibility of losing some of their most important characteristics to individualising trends, the disappearance of the importance of 'the social' and pressure towards solely evidence-based knowledge. This book explores how the relationship between the two fields, contributing to continuing discussions between and within each discipline. This book was originally published as a special issue of Nordic Social Work Research.

Karen Healy profoundly challenges, in the context of the postmodernity of late capitalism, many of the assumptions upon which the critical tradition in social work has been founded. This is a book which interrogates not only the emancipatory metanarratives of left perspectives from her position within the left, but also questions many of the received ideas about her professional power and identity, and about the kinds of social work practices necessary in order to continue to pursue welfare as an emancipatory project under transformed ideological and material circumstances. This is a most significant contribution to the debates which confront social work, worldwide, at the present time.' - Peter Leonard, McGill University, Canada

The New Black Sociologists follows in the footsteps of 1974’s pioneering text Black Sociologists: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, by tracing the organization of its forbearer in key thematic ways. This new collection of essays revisit the legacies of significant Black scholars including James E. Blackwell, William Julius Wilson, Joyce Ladner, and Mary Pattillo, but also extends coverage to include overlooked figures like Audre Lorde, Ida B. Wells, James Baldwin and August Wilson - whose lives and work have inspired new generations of Black sociologists on contemporary issues of racial segregation, feminism, religiosity, class, inequality and urban studies.

"Over the course of the past few decades there have been two important developments within American society that have had profound impact on both the disability and social work communities. First, genetic research, as well as policy and practice innovations based on this research, has expanded greatly over the past few decades. This is indicated, for example, by the mapping of the human genome in 2003, an expansion of prenatal genetic testing and counseling options, efforts to tailor drug regimens based on one's genetic make-up, popular genetic ancestry and medical testing services, and potential in-roads to genetic engineering, along with a host of other bio-genetic research innovations. The second important development has been the growth of the disability rights movement, which in many ways parallels the civil rights campaigns of other "minority" groups. Importantly, the coexistence of these two developments poses intriguing challenges for social work that the profession has yet to address in a meaningful way. Moreover, coming to term with these issues is especially important for social work professionals in our crucial role as advocates for marginalized or de-valued populations"--

This volume, which brings together chapters and journal articles published by renowned academic Ian Shaw, focusses on the practice/research relationship within social work – a theme that has preoccupied much of his writing over the last 40 or more years. These pieces show the academic development of his understanding of the complexity and challenge of that relationship, as well as the shifts which have occurred in it over time. Divided into four sections Forming Professional Practice Forming Social Work Research Chicago, Sociology and Social Work Critical Tributes and Debates and comprised of 31 chapters, it will be of interest to all scholars of social work, and allied subjects, including sociology, allied health, social policy and disability studies.