A study of the history of ideas in social work – a theoretical framework

Abstract

The aim of this article is to develop a theoretical frame of reference to study and assess the roots of the history of ideas in social work. The point of departure is social work as a practical and professional activity and scientific discipline. It is argued that a description and analysis of the background of the history of ideas in social work must be anchored in the development of the social sciences. The theoretical framework is generated from two variables that play a central role in the development of ideas in the social sciences. The interplay between theory and practice as well as the nature of social problems are central themes for classical authors. The theoretical framework developed in this study can be used 1) to make a typology of classical authors and of agents of social action to systematize similarities and dissimilarities between these and to study lines in the history of ideas leading to modern thinking in social work; and 2) to justify chosen classical texts as classics of social work. Thus, the framework can be used for the purpose of generating hypotheses in this research work.

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