Multicultural social work practice and South Asian migrants in Hong Kong |
| |
Authors: | Kim Kwok Kim-ming Lee Kam-yee Law |
| |
Institution: | 1. School of Social Sciences, Caritas Institutes of Higher Education, Hong Kong, China;2. Division of Social Sciences, Community College of City University, Hong Kong, China;3. Department of Social Sciences, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China |
| |
Abstract: | This paper explores how multicultural social work responds to the needs and structural issues faced by South Asian migrants in Hong Kong. Three working approaches, namely, the problem-solving approach, the strengths-based approach, and the rights-based approach are identified from our empirical data. The analyses demonstrate the generally insufficient awareness of the practice in critically addressing existing policies and power relations based on race. Moreover, there is a lack of critical reflection on the notion of culture and social workers’ ethnocentric biases. This paper argues that this insufficient awareness could lead to reinforcement of the existing social exclusion of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. Using Hong Kong as an example, this paper reflects on the implications of applying Western-based literature and practice model in a non-Western society. |
| |
Keywords: | Multicultural social work cultural competence ethnic minority South Asian migrants cultural assimilation critical multiculturalism |
|
|