Revisiting the Bond between Social Work and Ethnography

Abstract

Ethnographic research in social work is extremely valuable, yet not very commonly applied. In this theoretical article, I delineate the historical bond and ethical alliance between ethnography and social work, as well as highlight the empirical value that ethnography can offer the social work profession. By so doing I render visible the affinity between ethnographic research and the discipline of social work. I conclude by examining the relations between slow scholarship and ethnographic research as a means of resistance to the corporate neo-liberal university setting, encouraging social work scholars to do more ethnographic work. Such work can make a potentially significant contribution to social work practitioners, service users, policy makers, educators and scholars and encourage social science with meaning.