Introduction
It is imperative for a social worker to realize how their own values and cultural upbringing may affect his or her practice. Events that occur in childhood may have long term implications as adults which can affect one’s practice and/or judgements. One of the many definitions of International Social Work includes a locally based practice, informed by international knowledge (Healy & Link, 2012). That is a large reason why I am taking this course; to gain a broad perspective of the social forces behind major social problems while considering appropriate professional adapted approaches. This paper will be using, challenging and supporting Nehami Baum’s article to understand how one’s cultural upbringing affects his or her practice. …show more content…
It is clear in her writing that she remains objective throughout the article. However, I wonder if a Palestinian social worker in Israel would agree with Baum’s approach or with her article as whole since Baum is from the “other” side. Would the Palestinian social worker view Baum as the “enemy” and not take her article to heart as a Jewish social worker would be more likely to do? Also, Baum’s thesis in this article was to raise awareness of one’s biases in practice, however, she does not give us a way to realistically move forward with our practice. At the end, the article provides brief, general guidelines (rather obvious ones) of ways to move forward. Although she addresses that those guidelines were general points and that locally based practice is essential depending on the context, I would be curious if she can address the issues more specifically and adapted …show more content…
One of her examples include ensuring that aspects of culture of “other” group as well as cultural knowledge that would inform appropriate practice methods are included (Baum, 2007). As a social work student it is imperative to consider my social location when working with clients. I grew up in a tight-knit, Orthodox Jewish community, where I was raised fairly sheltered. With that in mind, it is important to be mindful of the fact that I do not have much experience with different cultures other than my own. I must therefore be cautious and ensure that my views do not affect my work. Baum emphasizes the importance of being culturally sensitive during one’s practice which will moderate the prejudice and/or stereotyping (Baum, 2007, p. 881) . Additionally, it is important that I am non-judgmental and educate myself about the different religions and cultures. It is important that I remain unbiased. Overall, every worker comes with a selection of biases and perspectives on matters; it is therefore vital that each social worker is aware of his or her social locations in order to provide the best
It is imperative for a social worker to realize how their own values and cultural upbringing may affect his or her practice. Events that occur in childhood may have long term implications as adults which can affect one’s practice and/or judgements. One of the many definitions of International Social Work includes a locally based practice, informed by international knowledge (Healy & Link, 2012). That is a large reason why I am taking this course; to gain a broad perspective of the social forces behind major social problems while considering appropriate professional adapted approaches. This paper will be using, challenging and supporting Nehami Baum’s article to understand how one’s cultural upbringing affects his or her practice. …show more content…
It is clear in her writing that she remains objective throughout the article. However, I wonder if a Palestinian social worker in Israel would agree with Baum’s approach or with her article as whole since Baum is from the “other” side. Would the Palestinian social worker view Baum as the “enemy” and not take her article to heart as a Jewish social worker would be more likely to do? Also, Baum’s thesis in this article was to raise awareness of one’s biases in practice, however, she does not give us a way to realistically move forward with our practice. At the end, the article provides brief, general guidelines (rather obvious ones) of ways to move forward. Although she addresses that those guidelines were general points and that locally based practice is essential depending on the context, I would be curious if she can address the issues more specifically and adapted …show more content…
One of her examples include ensuring that aspects of culture of “other” group as well as cultural knowledge that would inform appropriate practice methods are included (Baum, 2007). As a social work student it is imperative to consider my social location when working with clients. I grew up in a tight-knit, Orthodox Jewish community, where I was raised fairly sheltered. With that in mind, it is important to be mindful of the fact that I do not have much experience with different cultures other than my own. I must therefore be cautious and ensure that my views do not affect my work. Baum emphasizes the importance of being culturally sensitive during one’s practice which will moderate the prejudice and/or stereotyping (Baum, 2007, p. 881) . Additionally, it is important that I am non-judgmental and educate myself about the different religions and cultures. It is important that I remain unbiased. Overall, every worker comes with a selection of biases and perspectives on matters; it is therefore vital that each social worker is aware of his or her social locations in order to provide the best