社会工作研究与实务反思:基于性别与结构的视角

Rethink Social Work Research and Practice from a Gender and Structural Perspective

本文以妇女领域为例,反思现有的社会工作研究与实务中存在的问题,以女性主义社会工作为一个新的范式,着重从认识论和方法论层面重新理解与勾勒社会工作研究和实务。本文重点回应以下几个问题:第一,当前妇女社会工作研究与实务中存在怎样的"压迫"?这些问题将导致什么结果?第二,如何在妇女社会工作研究与实务中创造更平等的权力关系?如何以一种更整体的方式建立更能良性互动的社区?第三,女性主义社会工作作为一个不同的范式,在认识论、方法论层面有何不同?对我们有何启发?作者认为,重视社群层面的日常生活并以结构性视角看待个人问题与社会结构的关系,注重群体间的联结,在研究与实务中重视平等关系的营造,以行动研究和共同参与为依托,是女性主义社会工作解决传统性别中立的社会工作研究与实务中不合理现象的四大关键。这不仅是方法层面上的改善,更重要的是从认识论开始的源头上的改变。

This article reflects on problems and prejudice that exist in current social work research and practices due to its lack of gender awareness,and proposes a reconstruction of its epistemology and methodology from a feminist social work perspective. The leading questions to be dealt with are: firstly,what problems and potential oppressive elements exist in current social work research and practices,and their consequences are? Secondly,how can we create more equal power relationships in both research and practices of women’s social work,and build a more interactive,inclusive and connected community from a more structural perspective? Thirdly,how does feminist social work as a new perspective shed light on social work research and practices,including its epistemological and methodological differences that could enlighten us on a reconstruction? The article argues that feminist social work departs from gender-neutral social work research and practices in the following four major aspects: namely,an emphasis on the importance of everyday life,especially at the level of groups or the community;an emphasis on the connection of personal problems with social structures and the use of a structural perspective to analyze problems;a dedication to building more equal relationships in the process of research and practices;and an emphasis on action-oriented research and public participation. These are not only improvement in methods and skills but fundamental changes in epistemology,the making of knowledge.