The Doctor and the Social Services. Huws Jones,University of London,the Athlone Press, 1971. 56 Pages. Hardbound

Values in social work are part of the instrumentality for service delivery and decision making.

As an outgrowth of modern science, a value conflict has emerged between humanitarianism (the rights and dignity of the individual) and individualism (the distortion of individual rights into an antisocial mode). Current interpretations of individualism challenge the social value of mutuality upon which the “social” in social work is based Values cannot be “proved” in a logical positivist model of truth.

One example of the inappropriate use of logical positivism can be seen in social science research. A recommitment to values in social work theory and practice is emphasized and alternative research styles, stressing values, are suggested.     

Known-unknowns: Matthew Arnold,F. R. Leavis,and the government of culture

This essay reflects on the lives of two people whose publications, pedagogy, lectures, and crucially, whose experiences helped set the terms of the debate about so-called high culture in Cultural Studies: Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) and Frank Raymond (F. R.) Leavis (1895–1978). Who was Matthew Arnold? F. R. Leavis? What were the conditions of possibility of their work and words – that is, for the practices and positions for which they advocated? What new questions might emerge by sharing in detailed and perhaps unexpected stories of individuals who, presently, seem to function in Cultural Studies mainly as known-unknowns? The argument is that the details of both Arnold and Leavis’ lives are integral to understanding the conditions of possibility of their work, both individually and collectively, and indeed to more fully appreciating the meaning and implications their work holds for Cultural Studies. Apropos, this piece refines the methodology of keywords introduced by Raymond Williams [1958. Culture and society, 1780–1950. New York, NY: Columbia University Press; 1983.     

Necropolitics, narcopolitics, and femicide: gendered violence on the Mexico-U.S. border

In 1993, a group of women shocked Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, with the news that dozens of girls and women had been murdered and dumped, like garbage, around the city during the year. As the numbers of murders grew over the years, and as the police forces proved unwilling and unable to find the perpetrators, the protestors became activists. They called the violence and its surrounding impunity "femicide," and they demanded that the Mexican government, at the local, state, and federal levels, stop the violence and capture the perpetrators. Nearly two decades later, the city's infamy as a place of femicide is giving way to another terrible reputation as a place of unprecedented drug violence. Since 2006, more than six thousand people have died in the city, as have more than twenty-eight thousand across the country, in relation to the violence associated with the restructuring of the cartels that control the production and distribution of illegal drugs. In response to the public outcry against the violence, the Mexican government has deployed thousands of troops to Ciudad Juárez as part of a military strategy to secure the state against the cartels. In this essay, I argue that the politics over the meaning of the drug-related murders and femicide must be understood in relation to gendered violence and its use as a tool for securing the state. To that end, I examine the wars over the interpretation of death in northern Mexico through a feminist application of the concept of necropolitics as elaborated by the postcolonial scholar Achille Mbembe. I examine how the wars over the political meaning of death in relation both to femicide and to the events called "drug violence" unfold through a gendering of space, of violence, and of subjectivity. My objective is twofold: first, to demonstrate how the antifemicide movement illustrates the stakes for a democratic Mexican state and its citizens in a context where governing elites argue that the violence devastating Ciudad Juárez is a positive outcome of the government's war against organized crime; and second, to show how a politics of gender is central to this kind of necropolitics.     

Racial,religious, and national origin intermarriage in the U.S.: review of selected theory,method, and research

"This article summarizes the intermarriage literature with special reference to books and articles in the social sciences. The literature is partitioned into theoretical approaches, conceptualization and operationalization, computational formulas used in the reporting of intermarriage, general findings on the extent and types of intermarriage, [and] correlates of and attitudes toward racial, religious and national origin intermarriage. The authors conclude that a variety of theories and methods have [been] and continue to be employed to investigate this phenomenon. Among the findings reported are that racial intermarriages are least prevalent and national origin intermarriages the most prevalent in the United States."     

Report of the Departmental Task Force on Social Work Education and Manpower. Washington,D.C.: U.S. Department of Health,Education, and Welfare, 1966. 90 pp., $.55

The continuum of education for social work will be deficient until it systematically includes continuing education opportunities for workers employed at the bachelor's level. The paper addresses the importance of attractiveness and relevancy in the design of continuing education for members of this substantial component of social service manpower. It discusses ways of facilitating movement by more bachelor-level workers than at present into graduate-level training, and suggests several ideas for an educational design relating to continuity and progression in career learning, and to competency, career advancement, and continuing professionalization.     

Elder Abuse Detection and Intervention: A Collaborative Approach by B. Brandl,C. B. Dyer,C. J. Heisler,M. J. Otto,L. A. Stiegel,and R. W. Thomas

Mediation has recently been developed in America to help seniors deal with their disputes. Some Long Term Care Ombudsmen and their volunteers have also been trained in mediation for use in institutional conflicts. This paper suggests that elder mediation, through its voluntary, non-coercive process, has the potential for enhancing elder rights, providing an acceptable form of minimal social intervention, and contributing to the prevention of elder abuse at early stages of relational conflicts between elders and their carers.     

Helping the Battered Child and His Family. C. Henry Kempe,M.D. and Ray E. Helfer,M.D. Philadelphia and Toronto: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1972. 313 Pages. $8.50. Hardbound

The purposes of this article address the efficacy of computer applications, and encourage social work educators and practitioners to use available technology. A preliminary analysis of curricula and other factors suggests that the profession may not be preparing students to take advantage of existing computer technology. A brief overview of contemporary issues, technological developments, and areas of application is provided, and recommendations are made supporting the integration of computers in social work.