Citizenship, populism and social work in the Finnish welfare state

Abstract

This chapter ties together discussions of citizenship and social work practice in the context of growing populist and neoliberal political trends in Finland. These political trends are manifested in populistic right-wing movements on the one hand, and the neoliberal dismantling of the welfare state on the other. Both political trends -populism and neoliberalism -tend to separate people into those who are 'deserving' and 'undeserving'. However, the dynamics of globalisation has radically changed nation states, creating a need to redefine the understanding of an emancipatory idea of citizenship connected to human rights, because social rights on their own are no longer able to protect the human condition. These emancipatory approaches face resistance from contemporary populist political movements. This situation is paradoxical, as populist political movements also base their political mandate on an underprivileged group of people, namely those citizens living in fragile life situations within the nation state. Additionally, social work practice has conventionally been restricted by national contexts due to differences in social work traditions, social systems, social problems and cultures. These effects manifest in social work practices, intentionally or unintentionally, through the application of different approaches. Therefore, social work practice must redefine its position in the current political climate, and social policy must pay more attention to social work ethics as a human rights profession.

Social Workers’ Reflections on Forced Migration and Cultural Diversity—Towards Anti-Oppressive Expertise in Child and Family Social Work

“…Therefore, social workers reflect on how they began to be conscious of the Nordic understanding of universal color-blind services, where the differences between people and cultures are not recognized and considered. It is visible in our data that social workers are not automatically safe from either othering practices or color-blind practices without carefully reflecting their attitudes and being aware of the trap of Finnish (also Nordic) state-centered social work, where they earlier could count on general social policies and their implementation accordingly (Turtiainen and Kokkonen 2020).…”

Kolme vuosikymmentä pakolaisten vastaanottoa - Kati Turtiaisen haastattelu

“…Hankkeissa kokoamiensa aineistojen pohjalta Turtiainen on kirjoittanut useita julkaisuja. Näistä viimeisin, yhdessä Tuomo Kokkosen kanssa laadittu artikkeli, käsittelee sitä, miten sosiaalityö asettuu suhteessa populismiin ja uusliberalismiin (Turtiainen & Kokkonen 2020).…”