UiS Open Journals (Univ. of Stavanger)
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Social workers\u27 perception of practice with lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) in Nigeria
Get PDFPeople from Low-to-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) like Nigeria, irrespective of differences in beliefs and sexual orientation, face similar challenges in terms of living standards, access to resources and quality of life. However, people who have been ‘othered’ on the basis of their nonconformity to heteronormativity face additional challenges. The existence of the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act (SSMPA) of 2014, which criminalizes the normalization of homosexual ‘lifestyles’ and the persistence of a homophobic socio-political climate in Nigeria, exposes lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) in Nigeria to unique difficulties. Although social workers are expected to work, guided by the values of social justice and respect for human rights, with the vulnerable and oppressed in society such as LGBs, the socio-political contexts they operate in can limit how well they do this work. This paper seeks to explore the views of social workers on social work practice with LGBs in Nigeria, with qualitative data obtained from 12 professional social workers using in-depth interviews that were thematically analysed. Findings show that social workers’ perception of practice with LGBs in Nigeria is influenced by existing policies in the country, in addition to cultural and religious beliefs. Some social workers also view LGBs through a medical perspective of homosexuality being an illness, which can affect their work with this population. Recommendations from the study include developing a contextualized ethical code that addresses practice dilemmas and further research centred on the experiences of LGBs and social work practice, as this is one of the few studies on social work practice in Nigeria with this population
Immigrant family socialization: Perspectives from adult children of Mexican origin and their parents
Get PDFUsing convenient and purposive sampling augmented with snowball sampling, this study examines the perceptions of family socialization between two cultures, using in-depth interviews of 15 pairs of adult child-parent dyads (n=30) of Mexican origin in the United States. In sum, despite variations in the pace of acculturation, our study shows that both adult children and their parents proactively adopted compromising strategies (e.g. mutual respect, acceptance, openness, and realistic expectations) to bridge the differences in acculturation and reach common ground in family communication. Several core values and family practices, such as respect to family authority, family interdependence, retention/preservation of cultural heritage (e.g. language, customs, and identity), a strong work ethic, patriarchal gender norms, Mexican versus American parenting styles, and adult children striving for more freedom from traditional customs (e.g. conventional gender roles and living arrangements), were emphasized in Mexican immigrant family socialization in our study. Despite their differences in belief systems and ideologies, our study shows that family communication between the adult child-parent dyads was built on a set of implicit expectations that focus on minimizing family conflicts, yet providing a ‘culturally instrumental’ and supportive/caring context. In contrast to the postulation of the acculturation gap-distress model, our study found that discrepancies in acculturation between immigrant parents and their children were not necessarily associated with poorer family functioning and adjustment
Navigating the multifaceted landscape of culture and social work: A qualitative evidence synthesis of cultural competence and cultural sensitivity in practice
Get PDFFaced with increased global migration, there is a growing concern that social workers need more training in- and knowledge of culture and ethnicity. These understandings have come to influence research, education, practice, codes of ethics and organizational policy, constituting a multicultural discourse within the field of social work. Social workers are expected to have cultural competence, and exercise cultural sensitivity in their practice. However, a clear and consistent understanding of what it means to be culturally competent or culturally sensitive is missing, and there seems to be little consensus in how to define and apply these concepts, both within research and practice. The aim of this qualitative evidence synthesis is to synthesize what previous empirical research reports about social workers’ understandings and experiences when operationalizing the concepts into practice. Through data-based and a manual journal search, 12 qualitative empirical studies were included in the synthesis. Our analysis describes four main challenges in the studies’ efforts to operationalize the cultural concepts in social work practice: 1) Who to define as culturally diverse service-users; 2) What aspects of culture to consider in the encounters with culturally diverse service-users; 3) How to consider and approach these aspects of culture, and 4) the capacity to work in a culturally appropriate manner within the organizational context where this work is undertaken. The literature acknowledges these challenges to varying degrees. We summarize the four challenges in a model, and argue that the model can be useful in further awareness-raising, development and integration of our understandings of cross-cultural social work. By depicting the essential questions of who, what, how and where to employ the concepts into practice, we aim to assist scholars, practitioners and educators to help navigate the multifaceted landscape of culture and social work
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Get PDFCairns in one form or another are the most common type of prehistoric structure encountered during archaeological surveys in Rogaland County, southwestern Norway. In Norway, the responsibility for pre-development archaeological investigations is divided between county archaeologists and regional museums with the former undertaking site identification surveys and the latter carrying out subsequent excavations. Archaeological surveying is typically non-invasive and distinguishing burial cairns from clearance cairns often proves to be a difficult task. It is frequently argued that separating the two categories based on size and form alone is not sufficient. In this article, it is shown that, in addition to visual analysis, an understanding of the surrounding prehistoric landscape within which the cairn is situated is crucial when interpreting these structures. The interpretive utility of new methodologies such as Lidar and analysis of soil identification maps are also highlighted. Arguments are based primarily on data from localities containing cairns encountered during the E39 Ålgård–Hove project carried out in 2016 by Rogaland County, as well as a site excavated by the Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger in 2011
Ships and their timber source as indicators of connections between regions
Get PDFThe precise dating and determination of the source of timbers in shipwrecks found around the coasts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, through dendrochronology allows us to see connections between north and south, east and west throughout the region and to a high chronological precision. In this paper we take a look at results of recent analyses of timber from ships, and timber and barrel cargoes, to try to draw a chronological picture, from the twelfth to seventeenth centuries, of links between regions, through transport in oak ships and trade of timber. Archaeological finds of oak from timber cargos in shipwrecks and fine art objects (painted panels and sculpture) show the extent to which timber was shipped from Hanseatic towns along the southern Baltic coast, to western and north-western Europe
The Notau harbour and the Kontor in Bergen
Get PDFThe Hanseatic Kontor in Bergen was one of the main hubs of trade in the North Sea region. This paper explores a possibility suggested in a late sixteenth-century manuscript that the Norwegian Kontor for some time was also located at Notau, a place south of Bergen. It is argued that this written source might refer to the years 1427–33 when the Hanseatic merchants withdrew from Bergen because of an on-going war between King Erik and northern German princes. Notau is mentioned several times in sources from the fifteenth century and most of these references are related to Hanseatic activity. However, viewed in a broader context, Notau stands out as an important harbour on the south-western Norwegian coast, visited both by Norwegians and Hanseatics, as well as travellers from other regions
‘The meaning of my life will always be to defend our Motherland’: Raising and educating citizens in a child protection institution in Mexico
Get PDFEnglishThe point of departure of this paper is that childhood is socially constructed and continuously re-defined through public policies, laws, practices and ideologies. The paper explores the perspectives on children, upbringing and socialization as reflected in the manuals, forms and questionnaires of social workers in a child protection institution in Mexico. It employs a theoretical lens borrowed from Childhood Studies, using three dominant images of childhood—the Dionysian, Apollonian and Athenian—to examine the links between discursive constructions of childhood and ways of governing institutionalized children. Four overarching themes were identified as representative of predominant concepts of values concerning children and child rearing in an institutionalized context in the documents: (1) Patriotism, (2) Work ethics, (3) Hygiene, and (4) Physical experiences and sexuality. The analysis reveals how children are perceived primarily as future citizens, with their upbringing being a part of a wider nation-building project. Hence, there is an emphasis on how to become a ‘decent’ labourer, internalize the values of- and loyalty to the nation-state, and develop into a ‘moral’ and ‘civilized’ citizen. It is argued that institutional socialization is part and parcel of a political ideology that reinforces the idea of children as relatively passive socialization objects.
Spanish"El sentido de mi vida siempre será defender nuestra patria”: Criando y educando ciudadanos en instituciones de protección infantil en México. El punto de partida de este artículo es que la infancia es construida socialmente, y que es continuamente redefinida a través de las políticas públicas, las leyes, las prácticas y las ideologías. Este artículo explora las perspectivas sobre los niños, la crianza, y la socialización según se reflejan en los manuales, planillas y cuestionarios de los trabajadores sociales en una institución de protección infantil en México. Se emplea la propuesta teórica tomada de los Estudios de la Infancia, usando tres imágenes dominantes (Dionisíaca, Apolínea y Ateniense) para examinar los vínculos entre las construcciones discursivas sobre la infancia y las formas que gobiernan a los niños institucionalizados. Se identificaron cuatro temas relevantes como representativos de los conceptos de valores predominantes en los documentos respecto a los niños, y cuidado infantil en un contexto institucionalizado: (1) Patriotismo, (2) Ética de trabajo, (3) Higiene, y (4) Experiencias físicas y sexualidad. El análisis revela cómo los niños son percibidos primeramente como futuros ciudadanos, y su crianza es parte de un proyecto más amplio de construcción de la nación. De este modo hay un énfasis en cómo convertirse en un trabajador “decente”, internalizar los valores de y la lealtad al Estado nación, y desarrollar un ciudadano moral y civilizado. Se afirma que la socialización institucional es parte de la ideología política que refuerza la idea de los niños como objetos de socialización relativamente pasivos
Care Descriptions at Work: Textual Technologies from the Standpoint of Care Workers
Get PDFForms and documents play significant roles in the context of care work for older people. One type of form that care workers use on a daily basis is individual care descriptions (ICDs). An ICD is a text that is written on a piece of paper or on a computer, and specifies the care tasks to be carried out. How do ICDs operate in local settings of care work for older people? Anchored in insights from institutional ethnography, I investigate care work practices from the standpoint of care workers in care settings in Norway. In the empirical analysis, I identify and pay attention to two particular ICDs and how they enter the everyday care work practices. The findings indicate that ICDs contribute to standardizing care work practices that are related to changes in the cultural and institutional foundations of the welfare state. Furthermore, ICDs coordinate practices in different ways, and promote several forms of coordination. Hence, when analysing care descriptions at work, awareness of contextual sensitivity is called for. This paper contributes to research on management and power relationships in home care and nursing care work by illustrating different dimensions of textually based coordination