Book review

Title: Sociology and social work
Editor: Jo Cunningham and Steve Cunningham
Year: 2008
Edition: 1
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Learning Matters
ISBN: 9781844450879
Price: £17.00
Reviewer: Jeff Shantz, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Canada
Review date: 07/01/2009

Further information about this book 

One of the regular misconceptions I've encountered, as a student and as an instructor, is that sociology is a synonym for social work.  Those unfamiliar with sociology will often inquire, “is that like social work?”  This is somewhat interesting given that many sociology students view social work as a trade, unrelated to their theoretical interests, while many social work students view sociology as needlessly abstract and unhelpful in dealing with the day-to-day issues they are involved with.  This work by Jo Cunningham and Steve Cunningham is a welcome resource in overcoming these misconceptions while bridging the two disciplines.  A wonderful work, it provides great insight into the intersections of sociology and social work, showing the usefulness of an understanding of each discipline for proficiency in the other.

Sociology and Social Work begins with iconoclastic sociologist C. Wright Mills' notion of the “sociological imagination,” the critical sociological approach to looking beneath surface appearances of social issues by connecting personal troubles with public issues.  It does a fine job of introducing key debates over structure and agency and conflict and consensus and laying the foundation for what follows.  Major traditions in sociology, functionalism, symbolic interaction and Marxism are introduced.  These theories are then applied to specific issues in the following seven chapters.

Subsequent chapters focus on issues of central significance for sociology and social work, including Poverty (Chapter 2), Social Exclusion (Chapter 3), Families (Chapter 4), Community (Chapter 5), Moral Panics (Chapter 6), Education (Chapter 7) and the Relevance of Sociology for Social Work (Chapter 8).  Each chapter introduces the issue and concept, providing concept origins and debates before addressing the issue in relation to sociological theories.  This allows the reader to follow the approaches taken by specific theories (functionalist, Marxist, postmodern, feminist) to several different topics.  There are also numerous activities that students may pursue both individually and in groups.  Indeed, within each chapter subsection there is an associated activity.  These activities are generally thought provoking and should prove helpful in assisting students to develop their own sociological imaginations.  Each chapter concludes with a chapter summary and a relevant list of several sources for further reading.  Furthermore, the list of readings is annotated to further assist the interested student.

This would be an excellent course text, not only for social work students, but for students in other disciplines in which sociology is studied.  In fact, I would have no trouble using this text as part of a second year criminology course on sociological explanations of criminal behaviour.  Indeed this would serve nicely as a text for a one-semester course in Introductory Sociology.  Its chapters on Poverty and Social Service Users, Social Exclusion, Community and Moral Panics are among the strongest and most useful introductions to these topics I have encountered.  These discussions, which are nicely detailed, and accessibly presented, are given added depth through the authors' use of key theories, from functionalism to Marxism, both to critique the concepts and treatment of the issues and to illustrate applications of theoretical analysis.

Through the effective use of in-chapter activities and case studies Sociology and Social Work brings sociology to life.  Not only does it show convincingly the usefulness of sociological understanding for everyday social work practices.  That would be enough to recommend it as a tool for an engaged social work praxis based on solid theoretical foundations.  More, however, this fine book enlivens sociology itself, giving the discipline's theoretical concerns an activist engagement.