3-Discuss why ethnicity and ethnic identity is important to social work. Also discuss why it is problematic for social workers to assume that cultures are unitary. (20 points, max. 600 words)
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ethnicity Definition is a group of people who have a common language, culture, and body of tradition.
Ethnic identity refers to the ethnic group to which the individual is closely associated. Identifying one's ethnic identity is not as simple as checking the box according to the color of his skin. On the contrary, ethnic identity is a complex and multifaceted part of an individual's development.
Ethnic identities lie in the collective narratives of members of a particular ethnic group, such as their distinctive …show more content…
They should also be able to address racism issues in ways that encourage them to question different sensitive cultural norms. It is important that culture is not a unified entity, so practitioners can explore cultural differences within and between groups and counties (Lena Dominelli, 2008).
Many customers may choose not to work with someone from the same cultural group because of their own experiences within this group, their beliefs and fear of being judged by other group members
Even when customers and social workers share certain aspects of culture (ethnicity, religious background, sexual orientation, etc.), this can lead to potential tensions and problems in the practice of social work. For example, social workers may feel extra pressure from clients of the same culture to go beyond their duties - to accommodate the needs of these clients because of their shared cultural experience (yan, 2008).
Many members of the social work profession and also as employees in many public and private …show more content…
The social factor must also understand that terms such as culture, diversity, multiculturalism, and culture are all-encompassing in nature, and include both multiple dimensions of human identity and the intersection of group identities.
European intercultural approaches fall into the trap of unity and focus on education on cultural differences as the main way to end racism, an approach that is unlikely to achieve its goal of promoting racial equality (Dominelli, 2006b). Because even when they acknowledge the existence of different ethnicities, they assume the symmetry between those within race. For example, social workers who regard children with dual inheritance as "black" ignore their actual situation of having a black and white father and what they mean as individuals.
We can conclude that the assumption by many social workers that cultures are unitary can cause great problems in social work. However, we can say those common understandings of identity are not "bad" in themselves, and there are cases in which human survival depends on people who work together through a unified identity, rather than what separates
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ethnicity Definition is a group of people who have a common language, culture, and body of tradition.
Ethnic identity refers to the ethnic group to which the individual is closely associated. Identifying one's ethnic identity is not as simple as checking the box according to the color of his skin. On the contrary, ethnic identity is a complex and multifaceted part of an individual's development.
Ethnic identities lie in the collective narratives of members of a particular ethnic group, such as their distinctive …show more content…
They should also be able to address racism issues in ways that encourage them to question different sensitive cultural norms. It is important that culture is not a unified entity, so practitioners can explore cultural differences within and between groups and counties (Lena Dominelli, 2008).
Many customers may choose not to work with someone from the same cultural group because of their own experiences within this group, their beliefs and fear of being judged by other group members
Even when customers and social workers share certain aspects of culture (ethnicity, religious background, sexual orientation, etc.), this can lead to potential tensions and problems in the practice of social work. For example, social workers may feel extra pressure from clients of the same culture to go beyond their duties - to accommodate the needs of these clients because of their shared cultural experience (yan, 2008).
Many members of the social work profession and also as employees in many public and private …show more content…
The social factor must also understand that terms such as culture, diversity, multiculturalism, and culture are all-encompassing in nature, and include both multiple dimensions of human identity and the intersection of group identities.
European intercultural approaches fall into the trap of unity and focus on education on cultural differences as the main way to end racism, an approach that is unlikely to achieve its goal of promoting racial equality (Dominelli, 2006b). Because even when they acknowledge the existence of different ethnicities, they assume the symmetry between those within race. For example, social workers who regard children with dual inheritance as "black" ignore their actual situation of having a black and white father and what they mean as individuals.
We can conclude that the assumption by many social workers that cultures are unitary can cause great problems in social work. However, we can say those common understandings of identity are not "bad" in themselves, and there are cases in which human survival depends on people who work together through a unified identity, rather than what separates