A systematic review of qualitative social work articles: Exploring embodiment from 2000 to 2019

Abstract

Scholars have increased their interest in the body as it relates to social inequality and health. The purpose of this review was to understand social work’s engagement with and adoption of embodiment. The authors identified peer-reviewed articles to answer research questions about the number of publications, journals, countries and topic areas. There were 89 articles published over a 20-year period with the highest number in medical journals and the most prolific region, the United Kingdom. Major topic areas included gender, ageing and disability. The authors discuss findings and silences in the data and offer suggestions for the field going forward.