Field, capital and professional identity

Abstract

This chapter explores social work identity in health care settings, a significant field of practice in many parts of the world, including North America and Australasia. The influence of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's philosophical framework is explored in a consideration of professional identity. His concepts of 'field' and 'capital' are used to analyse the influence of power relations, utilising an additional concept of 'professional capital'. Professional capital is relatively undeveloped conceptually, although there is considerable literature concerned with Bourdieusian constructs of social and cultural capital as applied to professional practices and social work identity. References to professional capital are found mainly in discussion of the challenges faced by contemporary professions, including those of multidisciplinary teams. In New Zealand, where health social work emerged in the 1930s, the profession lacked a clear demarcation between social workers and nurses or midwives. The unequal power relationships and differential statuses of health professionals reflect very old but still powerful dynamics.

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