Ethnicity and Race in a Changing World

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Ethnicity and Race in a Changing World: A Review Journalcommunities. The authors registers their surprise that this is the case, especially given an increasedfocus on Muslim minority ethnic groups in the West in recent years.Islam and Social Work examines, and ultimately negates, the notion that there is anirreconcilable conflict between Western cultural values and practices and the cultural backgroundsof Muslim minority ethnic communities. Focusing on a UK context, attention is paid to the UKgovernment’s heightened focus on young South Asian men and their alleged inability to assimilateinto UK society. The authors go on to claim that recent debates about assimilation miss out key issuesconcerning British Muslim identities – namely, the high levels of socio-economic deprivation amongthis demographic which, for young men, translates into a ‘strong’ Islamic identity and the desire forglobal rather than local affiliations.This text, the first of its kind, provides social workers with the necessary information pertainingto Islamic principles so they can develop culturally sensitive strategies and practical applications.The book starts by providing a general overview of the topic and a useful synopsis of all terms usedthroughout. Chapter two concerns the diversity of the Muslim ‘ummah’ (diaspora) – its foundationalprinciples and application in a global context as well as its application for migrant and settled minorityethnic communities in the UK and Western Europe. Chapter three connects this discussion with anexamination of the training needs of social workers in the UK. The next chapter moves on to explorethe centrality of the family within Islam and what this means in the context of the everyday for Muslimfamilies and communities. Chapter five continues this strand of thought by raising awareness arounddomestic violence and child abuse, giving training advice for social work interventions. Whilst chaptersix examines the health concerns of Muslim families – disability, mental health and female genitalmutilation – chapter seven highlights the impact of Islamophobia and crime on the social needs ofMuslim communities across the UK. The book concludes with some good practice guidance for socialpractitioners, highlighting the need for sensitive and professional practice.Also relates to:Culture, Identity, Gender and RelationshipsHistoryMigration, Immigration and the Refugee ExperiencePolitics and GovernmentBLACK ISSUES IN SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL CAREMekada GrahamPublisher: Policy PressYear: 2007Pagination: 195ppISBN: 978-1861348456Price: £18.99Here, Mekada Graham employs an African-centred approach to the study of social policy as well asthe ‘doing’ of social work. As such, Black Issues in Social Work brings Black perspectives to the fore,citing the importance of studying Black and Minority Ethnic communities in-depth in order to bringabout true anti-discriminatory practice and social change.The book starts by providing a brief introduction to the history of social work and its linksto social justice. Graham shows how, within a British context, social work has tended to neglectthe welfare needs of Black communities. Black Issues in Social Work sets out to address this issue,educating social workers and students, policy makers and professors about the needs and issuesfacing Black communities in contemporary Britain.Graham spends some time familiarising the reader with the theories and debates surroundingBlack Studies as it has emerged and developed in recent years. There follows a brief note aboutterminology. This leads to a discussion about anti-discriminatory practice within social policy andsocial work. Chapter two presents an historical overview of this practice, taking into account socialtheories of race and their impact on social work. Chapter three builds on this to discuss the relevanceof post-modern theories more generally within social work.Moving on, chapter four centres on the experiences of Black families and, in particular, the70
Ethnicity and Race in a Changing World: A Review Journalissues presented by young Black people and children in care. The focus of the next chapter is mentalhealth and particular attention is paid to instances of institutional racism and the ways in which suchinstances have served to further isolate an already marginalised group. Solutions, explored in moredepth in chapter six, detail spiritual and holistic approaches to improving the mental health of Blackpeople in this context. Here, the author brings out important cross-overs between a Black-centricapproach and a social model of disability as it has evolved in recent times.Ageing forms the focus of chapter seven and, more specifically, social policies as they impacton older black people. In its place, the author highlights the need for social workers to understandthe specific cultural nuances of an older Black community, as brought to the fore through oral historyprojects. In the final chapter, the author pulls together the various strands of social work discussedas they relate to the Black community in order to communicate best practice to social workers andfuture possibilities for social policy research.Also relates to:Culture, Identity, Gender and RelationshipsEducationEmploymentHousing and PlanningMigration, Immigration and the Refugee ExperiencePolitics and GovernmentSocial TheoryBOUNDARIES OF CONTAGION: HOW ETHNIC POLITICS HAVE SHAPED GOVERNMENTRESPONSES TO AIDSEvan S LiebermanPublisher: Princeton University PressYear: 2009Pagination: 368ppISBN: 978-0691140193Price: £16.95This survey represents the first comparative analysis of government responses to HIV/AIDS, which,the author claims, have varied greatly, especially with regards to Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. Drawing on case studies undertaken in Brazil, India and South Africa –countries with a similar demographic and where the AIDs epidemic is rife - the author explores theimpact of ethnic divisions on government politics and policy-making. It is no mere coincidence thatninety percent of the world’s HIV infections are contained in low and middle-income countries. Thisstatistic makes research of this kind all the more urgent.Boundaries of Contagion shows that in societies with strong ethnic boundaries, the governmentresponse to HIV/AIDs is weaker than in countries where ethnic divisions are not so fiercely drawn. Inthe latter case, the epidemic is more likely to be perceived as a shared national threat which demandsurgent action and thus a greater mobilisation of resources. The crux of the book is the question of whysome governments have responded to the AIDs crisis more quickly than others. Attempts to answerthis question must start by examining why HIV/AIDS has hit some countries harder than others. Thechallenge of attempting to explain government responses to AIDS touch on the political origins ofgovernment efforts and differences in the provision of public policies and resources more generally.The book starts by exploring the international dimension of policy-making and the activedissemination of the Geneva Consensus by richer countries. Drawing on theories of ethnic policy,social identity and the construction of risk, the author makes a key point that AIDS has proven tobe central to the development of South Africa. Chapter two develops theories about how and whygovernments have responded to the AIDs epidemic in different ways. The next chapter sets the scenefor individual government response by analysing the globalised environment of the AIDs epidemic.Chapters four, five and six concern the politics of policy-making in Brazil, India and South Africa; whilstBrazil is shown to be an overperformer, South Africa and India are highlighted as underperformers.The book concludes with a positive empirical analysis of the ways in which these findings resonate71
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Ethnicity and Race in a Changing World

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