A succession of global crises defines the first two decades of the 21st century. Crises already dominated main parts of the 20thcentury – and are part of the modern societies in general. But theglobal dimension of the current crises, first and foremost thepandemic and the climate crisis, is unprecedented. In contrast, social security and social care programs and strategies are stillanchored in and oriented towards the nation state. Therefore, they react with a corresponding uncertainty or simplified securitypromises only on the national level. Exceptions on a supranational level, such as attempts to strengthen the social dimension in theEuropean Union (EU) are only partially successful. With the need to manage the current global crises and prevent their further escalation, the question of an actual global welfare policy and a global public sphere is moving to the center of attention.
The conference aims to address these questions from an interdisciplinary perspective in a dialogue and exchange between renowned international scholars. This succeeds in the international network of Social Work & Society, which has been formed around the Open Access-Journal SW&S (www.socwork.net) since 2002. The conference thus aims to promote and stimulate the international exchange in the fields of research that deal with the questions of current welfare services and the future shape of social work / social pedagogy as well as social policy.
To register (in person and online), email office@socwork.net by 1/5/2023
Conference Program: 1st of June 2023
Welcome and Introduction
• Marie Frühauf & Fabian Kessl (Wuppertal /GER):
Greetings by the University of Wuppertal
Keynote
• Walter Lorenz (Praha /CZE): Global Crises and the Erosion of 'the Social': Social Work and Social Policy for a Global Public Sphere and a Global Welfare Policy
8.30 pm: Evening Dinner & Anniversary Celebration
Conference Program: 2nd of June 2023
• Brigid Featherstone (Huddersfield /UK): Protecting Children and Supporting Families in Post-Pandemic Times
• Biray Kolluoğlu (Istanbul /TUR): Urban Spaces under the Pressure of Global Crises
• Greg Marston (Queensland /AUS): On Neoliberalism and Global Welfare Policy in Times of Multiple Crises
10.30 am (MET): break
10.45 am (MET): The Welfare Service Profession and its Organisations
• Jotham Dhemba (Kwaluseni /Eswatini): Population Ageing in Eastern and Southern Africa: Implications for Social Work Education and Practice
• S.M. Sajid (New Delhi /I): Challenges to Social Work Profession in the Indian sub-continent during and beyond the pandemic
• Vesna Leskošek (Ljubljana/Slovenia): Lessons Learned from the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Structural Context in which Social Services are Embedded
12 pm (MET): Users of Welfare Services
• Roberta Rehner Iversen (Philadelphia /USA): Welfare reform, Recessions and Pandemic: The Situations of Low-Earning Workers and their Families
• Andreas Schaarschuch (Wuppertal /GER): Alienation from the Social in Times of Global Crises. Perspectives from User Research
• Griet Roets (Gent /BEL): New charity economy, neo-philanthropy, and social work: the changing rationale of welfare during referrals of denizens
3.45 pm (MET): Social Work and Society: Pathways
towards a global public sphere
Closing remarks and Farewell
Marie Frühauf & Fabian Kessl (Wuppertal /GER)
4 pm (MET): End of Conference