Upcoming events
Open lecture
Local reactions to global problems: The contested roles and identities of social workers
Dr. Jessica Hanna Jönsson
Örebro University, School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro, Sweden
Monday 10 February 2020, 12–2pm
Venue: Festive Hall, Snellmaninkatu 12, Swedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki
This presentation explores the roles and identities of social workers in their local responses to global processes of change. The presentation is divided in two parts: ‘Social workers’ experiences of working in, and responding to, the increasing neoliberal organisation of public social work’ and ‘The tensions between global ethics in social work and neoliberal and nationalised social work practices with undocumented migrants in Sweden’. The first part is based on an interview study with social workers. The results show a growing and widespread unease with new professional roles and functions of social workers as bureaucrats within a neoliberalised organisation of public social work. Part two is dedicated to presenting social work practices with undocumented migrants in the framework of the Swedish social care system, based on interviews with social workers and NGO actors, complemented by participant observations. The empirical results show how globalisation, migration and social problems of undocumented migrants increasingly challenge the national basis of social work and create tensions between national laws and practices guiding the Swedish welfare services and Global Ethics in Social Work. The neoliberalisation of public social work have reduced the professional possibilities for providing services to undocumented migrants. Paradoxically, the same developments have created new possibilities for other actors such as NGOs and individual professional social workers to apply global ethics in social work and improve undocumented migrants’ living conditions.
Dr Jessica H. Jönsson is an associate professor and research fellow at the School of Law, Psychology and Social work (JPS). Her research area concerns social work as a globalised and sociopolitical field facing increasing theoretical, practical and ethical challenges caused by socioeconomic, political and cultural transformations. She has studied global social problems, sustainable- and social development, poverty alleviation, migration and reception of asylum seekers and refugees, and national (dis)organisation of social work including its education and practices. She is teaching mainly in community work, social work and migration and global social problems.
The talk is arranged in collaboration with the Academy of Finland project “Ordering the Migrant Family: Power Asymmetries and Citizenization in Restructuring Welfare Bureaucracies (MigraFam)” (2017-2021)
Past events
Citizenship, Bodies and Affect
14 February 2019, 2-5 pm
Venue: Festive Hall, Snellmaninkatu 12, Swedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki
Programme
Affecting Citizenship: Possibilities and Limitations
Prof. Anne-Marie Fortier, Lancaster University, UK
Commentary Dr. Marja Peltola, University of Helsinki
“The Swedes and Their Fathers”: DNA-Genealogy as Biological Citizenship?
Dr. Anna Bredström, Linköping University, Sweden
Commentary Docent Johanna Leinonen, Migration Institute of Finland
Organizers
The Centre for Research on Ethnic Relations and Nationalism (CEREN), Swedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki
Academy of Finland projects: Ordering the “migrant family”: power asymmetry work and citizenisation in welfare professional bureaucracies (MigraFam) & Citizenisation in the local welfare state: migrant mothers’ everyday life in restructuring urban settings.
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Precarious Citizenship and the Street-Level Welfare State
CoE AgeCare RG3 & MigraFam Workshop , 24-25 May 2018
Venues: Unioninkatu 35, aud. 116 & Snellmaninkatu 12, Room 234, University of Helsinki
Thursday 24th of May 2018
Precarious citizenship and limbo statuses as a state strategy
Noora Lori, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Pardee School of Global Studies
Commentator: Sirpa Wrede, Proferssor, University of Helsinki
Mobility and enforcement as the new Poor Law
Bridget Anderson, Professor of Mobilities, Migration and Citizenship, University of Bristol
Commentator: Ann Phoenix, Professor, University of Helsinki
Research workshops:
Anna Simola: Dynamics of dependency in the lives of young intra-EU migrants in conditions of precarious employment and multilevel conditionality of social protection
Antero Olakivi: The problematic recruitment of migrant labour: a relational perspective on the agency of care work managers
Anne Kouvonen: Antidepressant medication use among migrants in Finland: an administrative data linkage study
Anna-Leena Riitaoja & Ulla Buchert: Migrancy and multiculturalism as Institutional categories in the public sector – How good intentions turn into ‘othering’ of clients?
Friday 25th of May 2018
Ethical dilemmas in studying “unaccompanied minors”: building trust and reframing young people who are considered suspects
Philip Lalander, Professor & Marcus Herz, Associate Professor, Malmö University
Commentator: Lotta Haikkola, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Helsinki
Studying belonging – lessons from the field
Vanessa May, Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester
Commentator: Suvi Salmenniemi, Professor, University of Turku
Research workshops:
Maija Jäppinen & Hanna Kara: Negotiating access in ethnographic fieldwork on social work with migrants
Lotta Haikkola: Making Labouring Citizens. Reproducing gendered, classed and racialized career paths in the youth employment services
Anastasia Asikainen: Transnational Lived Citizenship in Later-life: Everyday Support, Belonging and Rights of Ageing Russian-Speaking Migrants in Finland