Blockseminar Social Work and Participation A Brazilian Perspective

Participation is a subject which is historically related to Social Work. Especially when we take in consideration that, as a social process, participation carries social and political potential both to legitimate a reproduction of status quo in social relations, but also to strengthen citizenship and autonomy of singular and collective actors in the social arena. The professionalization and institutionalization of Social Work in Brazil, took place during the early 1940s till the early 1980s. At that time Brazilian Social Work practices had been highly influenced by the conservative background of Brazil’s politics. The political culture was dominated by the struggle for a greater recognition of democracy and greater democratic practice. For the last 30 years, and after the re-establishment of democracy in Brazil, Social Work professionals are facing new challenges. The professionals contribute to strengthen social processes targeted to social emancipation, as well as to enhance democracy in the field of Social Policies. In the course of the seminar we will take a look at the recent (re)configuration of the public sphere in Brazil, and will discuss the new relations involving State and Civil Society in the field of Social Policies. Another topic will be the repercussions of social work practices and the challenge, Brazilian Social Work faces, in regard to the development of a participation-based framework. The framework aims for the empowerment of the people and a social movement for greater democratic practice among the people and against oppression. We will approach this by looking at different concepts of Social Work Practice and participation. Moreover the contemporary ethical principals for Social Worker’s practice in Brazil will be discussed. Those ethical principals are aimed to enhance social participation among the people and also for the representation of how professionals are dealing with the challenge to enhance the public sphere in social policies in Brazil. The common language of this seminar will be English, but assistance will be available. FB 04 Sozialwesen Uni Kassel SoSe 2010 Lehrveranstaltungspool FB 04 Soziale Arbeit Prof. Dr. Aguinsky Beatriz