Book review

Title: International Perspectives on Social Work: Global Conditions and Local Practice
Author(s): Lyons, Karen; Manion, Kathleen; Carlsen, Mary
Year: 2006
Edition: 1
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 1403939519
Price: £19.99

Reviewer: Jo Warner, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, University of Kent
Review date: 04/09/2007

This is an important book because it considers social work in the context of the current global climate of social, political and economic change. The perspectives it represents are increasingly central ones, given the rapid pace of change and the differential impact of globalization on people with whom social work is most concerned – particularly those who are most vulnerable. I would recommend this book be added to general reading lists for students. I would also recommend it to anyone who is new to the subject of ‘global-mindedness’ in social work, as the book does not assume too much prior knowledge and sets out the key issues clearly and in an accessible style.

The book is well organized and the decision to split it into two parts was well-made. The first part addresses theoretical frameworks, from which chapters 2 and 3, on globalization and social inequality respectively, are particularly strong. These chapters could be used as readings in modules that address social theory and/or sociological perspectives. Part two addresses the effects of globalization in practice across a number of areas including child exploitation, migration, and global pandemics and could therefore potentially be used across a range of modules focusing on specific client groups.

In terms of ways in which the book could have been strengthened, I felt slightly frustrated at times that the authors appeared overly hesitant in some of the lines of argument they pursued. There is occasionally an overuse of phrases such as ‘it can be argued’ through which the authors come across as non-committal and circumspect. One example of this would be the brief section on ‘world peace’ early in chapter 2. I think it is hard to sustain the argument that ‘world peace’ or even that ‘a certain stability’ existed up until the late 1980s unless one adopts a very narrow perspective. I was left a little unclear about the position of the authors on this issue.

The book calls for much closer attention to be paid to global arrangements by social workers. One fascinating question raised by this call is how far it is similar to the ones made by radical social workers in the 1970s, that urgent attention be paid to structural inequalities and the impact of the political system on the lives of people with whom we work. Calls to ‘internationalise practice’ and the appeal from this book for social work to become a ‘globally minded profession’ may well represent the new face of radicalism. Let us hope that those of us involved with social work in the UK can respond to the challenge and redefine our practice, research and teaching accordingly.