Social Movements, Social Justice and Social Work

Correspondence to: Neil Thompson, Avenue Consulting Ltd, PO Box 2060, Wrexham LL13 OZG, Wales, UK. Summary This paper explores the relationship between social movements,social justice and social work. It examines the role of socialmovements in promoting social justice and considers the influencesof such movements in the development of emancipatory forms ofsocial work practice. It also considers the question of whethersocial work can be viewed as a form of social movement in itsown right. A central theme of the paper is the fundamental tensionbetween social work as a force for social regulation and asa force for social development and emancipation.     

Social Gerontology and Social Work

Summary This paper reviews developments in the study of ageing as anindividual and social experience and it considers recent studiesof practical services for the elderly. In so doing it aims tohighlight the ways in which social work skills and helping techniquescan be developed. It also relates the findings of studies ofservice delivery to the elderly to the development of futurepolicy.     

社会焦虑--一个微观层面的社会问题

社会焦虑(social suspense),指由于社会中的不确定因素而在民众中产生的压抑、烦躁、不满、非理性冲动等紧张心理,这一紧 张心理集聚到一定程度就会形成社会张力,最终以社会 冲突或其他方式释放出来。在国内,由吴忠民教授较早使 用这一概念(1999),也有学者提出应称为社会紧张(陆     

制度与社会发展

任何社会的存在和发展,都离不开制度。马克思恩格斯十分重视制度在社会发展中的重要作用。在现代社会,社会秩序成了“瓶颈需求”,因此,制度作为社会秩序的生产方式之一,对现代社会的发展来说尤其重要。制度对社会发展的重要作用,主要表现在:制度是社会结构存在和变迁的重要条件,技术和文化在社会结构存在和变迁中的作用,最终要借助于制度以及制度的变迁;制度是社会发展目标的实现机制,在社会发展中,任何重要的社会发展理想(目标)或理念,只有得到制度上的体现,才能转化为现实的发展路径;制度又是社会发展的整合机制,制度可以保障社会合力的形成以及社会合作的实现。     

社会分层与社会和谐

一、社会分层与社会和谐:社会学永恒的话题在所有的社会中,人们一生下来就面对着不平等,即缺少平等的途径以得到社会所提供的满足欲望的物品(戴维·波普诺,1999:239)。因此,在所有的社会中,都如同地质结构一样,存在着高低有序的等级层次,即社会分层。社会分层是社会学永恒的话题。自社会学的经典时代起,就形成了马克思和韦伯两种传统,此后,关于社会分层的研究就从未脱离西方主流社会学的视线。1在国内学界,社会分层研究也是方兴未艾,其态势正如边燕杰(1999)所言,“制度转型时期的社会分层研究成为近年来社会学研究的一个热点,也是社会科学、…     

Social Structure and Social Relations

This paper replies to Porpora, King, and Varela's responses to my earlier paper “For Emergence”, focussing on the relationship between the concepts of social structure and social relations. It recognises the importance of identifying the mechanisms responsible whenever we make claims for the emergence of causal powers, and discusses the mechanism underlying one case of social structure: normative institutions. It also shows how critical realism reconciles the claims that both social structures and human individuals have emergent causal powers that combine to produce actual social events.     

Social Work for Social Fitness

Summary Social work has lost the perspective of social relationshipsas ends in themselves, and has become predominantly an impersonal,individualistic technology. Several interpersonal dimensionsare outlined to help fill this social value vacuum, and it issuggested that these can be held together by the concept ofsocial fitness. This is defined as the mutual development ofthe individual and his total network to a fullness of identitywhich is an end in itself and does not depend on the achievementof any other objectives. The kind of power produced by thisfitness is distinguished from power of the impersonal kind,and its meaning for social workers is discussed in relationto material need. Finally, the future development of socialwork is considered briefly in terms of promoting social fitnessthrough work with various kinds of social networks.     

From Social Insurance to Social Assistance

In attempting to establish a social security system that would function to smooth the transition from a planned to market economy, the government of China has, for most of the time in the past decades, focused its efforts on setting up social insurance programs in the urban areas. Along with the emergence of urban poverty since the mid 1990s, the emphasis of the government has shifted to means-tested social assistance programs as the major means to combat poverty and maintain social stability. However, with the absence of more equitable social and economic policies that can protect people against the many risks associated with a market economy, the role of social assistance is very limited.