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Knowledge-in-practice in the caring professions: Multidisciplinary perspectives. England: Ashgate Publishing. 256 pages. Paperback. I was attracted to this book because I am unsure whether I believe in multidisciplinary practice. This may sound like a silly thing to say because good teaming presumably allows ISSUE 24(1), 2012 AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND SOCIAL WORK PAGE 75 for the application, and the coordination, of multiple professional skills; and it surely means that the client/patient/service user does not have to navigate between agencies. Moreover, service integration seems to make sense as a response to increased demands for services. A problem, however, is that the various professions do not necessarily relate very well to each and, as the editors of this book say, there are histories of turf disputes between obstetricians and midwives, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, physiotherapists and orthopaedic surgeons, nurses and social workers, and occupational therapists and social workers. Multidisciplinary practice has some of the significant challenges of a marriage or civil union, such as coping with inherent differences and with dominance. The differences across the caring professions typically include the client population and their contexts, the nature of the assessments and interventions that are used, the professional language that is spoken, the amount of time spent with clients and the types of relationship that are established with them, the place of technology in what is done, and how risk, accountability, and liability are determined. The power differences among the caring professions are vested in hierarchical positions and in the authority of the knowledge that is used.

This volume brings together authors from varying 'people professions' to address the issues of professional judgement and wisdom. Based on the premise that ethics lie at the heart of these professions, they chart a paradigm shift away from the techno-rational as the basis for decision-making to 'practice wisdom'. Enlarging on the Aristotelian understanding of 'phronesis' (practical wisdom) they focus on reflection and deliberation, informed by responsible ethical judgement, as the basis for decision-making. Fifteen chapters, separated into three sections, offer substantive, wide-ranging discussions, impossible to do justice in this short review. I will comment on just a few chapters. The shift in focus from technical empirical knowledge to practice wisdom is a welcome one. Over-reliance on technical know-how can inhibit authentic and reflective practice, responsive to this person in this context here and now. The emphasis on evidence-based practice as best practice is questioned by David Carr who asserts that in the people professions '… it is the cultivation of virtues such as courage, temperance, justice and wisdom that lie at the heart of exemplary professional conduct' (p.109), rather than a particular skill or technical base. This is picked up in a chapter by John Swinton who expands on the concept of professional wisdom as it is uniquely embodied in L'Arche communities where practitioners are seen as healers and guides. Elizabeth Campbell presents 'ethical knowledge' as being at the core of good teacher education. She argues convincingly that cultivation of this ethical knowledge needs to be ISSUE 24(2), 2012

Recently I have noticed a number of dogs 'out and about' wearing outfits. It may be my upbringing on a sheep farm but I find this trend disconcerting and disturbing. It has left me wondering what kind of society we live in where people dress up their dogs, shopping is a valid way to deal with emotional distress (retail therapy) and self-obsession leads people to humiliate themselves publicly for a moment of celebrity. Clive Hamilton gives answers to this in his discussion of the ideology he calls growth fetish, which is our obsession with economic growth. Political success is measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rather than whether or not society is good to live in. Individuals buy into the belief (hegemony) that no matter how rich you are, in order to be happy you need to be richer, creating a malaise of discontent. Hamilton argues that as capitalism is the dominant discourse it is taken for granted that consumerism and economic growth are vital for a 'good society'. For capitalism to sustain itself citizens need to feel dissatisfied with what they have so they will continue to consume and consume.