Social Boundary Work ̶ Social Work and "Transnational Studies"

Nation states and their key institutions are being transformed as shifting and swelling flows of people, social relations, and organizations transcend national borders and connect formerly distinct social worlds. Social work... [ view full abstract ]

Nation states and their key institutions are being transformed as shifting and swelling flows of people, social relations, and organizations transcend national borders and connect formerly distinct social worlds. Social work is highly influenced by these border-crossing developments, yet it is just beginning to systematically notice and study them. Due to its foundations in the notion of the nation state, nation-based research methodologies and international comparative approaches are still the common frameworks in social work. The concept of “methodological nationalism” is used in “transnational studies” to point out the naturalization or substantialization of nation statehood and to problematize the equation of society with nation state. This reflection and further development of current theories is necessary to focus on the practices, embedding and positioning of individuals and communities in places, spaces and environments within two or more nation states at the same time. Moreover, social services at the organizational level are challenged to fulfill increasingly complex boundary work in economic, social and political structures. Social work as social boundary work – as it is discussed in “transnational studies” – is confronted with new opportunities and dilemmas. Transnational boundary work focuses not only on territorial borders, but also on social, judicial, and biographical boundaries. The symposium aims to discuss social work as social boundary work with the following areas of focus:
• The methodological nationalism in social work
• Social work history in a transnational perspective
• Welfare policies in a transnational perspective
• Social boundary work - empirical and theoretical views