Social Work and Sociology: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

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.

Introduction – Social work and sociology: historical separation and current challenges Irene Levin, Marit Haldar and Aurélie Picot 1. Sociological social workers: a history of the present? Ian Shaw 2. The other Chicago school – a sociological tradition expropriated and erased Michael Seltzer and Marit Haldar 3. The theoretical foundation of social case work Siri Fjeldheim, Irene Levin and Eivind Engebretsen 4. Evidence and research designs in applied sociology and social work research Kjeld Høgsbro 5. The help system and its reflection theory: a sociological observation of social work Werner Schirmer and Dimitris Michailakis 6. Why social work and sociology need psychosocial theory Elizabeth Frost 7. Complex issues, complex solutions: applying complexity theory in social work practice Sheila Fish and Mark Hardy 8. What happens to the social in social work? Jorid Krane Hanssen, Gunn Strand Hutchinson, Rolv Lyngstad and Johans Tveit Sandvin

Irene Levin is a Professor in the Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy at Oslo University College, Norway. Marit Haldar is Professor in the Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy at Oslo University College, Norway. Aurélie Picot is a Fellow in the Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy at Oslo University College, Norway.