Shaping transnational learning positions and understanding social work in context–students’ experiences of a short-term exchange program

‘Where is the social work?’ Discovering and learning social work across Chinese and Norwegian contexts: A transcontextual perspective

“…For example, Wallimann (2014) argues that the transnational perspective should cut across all areas of SW and be used as a variable in the same way as gender. Other scholars, including myself, argue that it can be adopted as an overarching critical perspective to challenge SW as a discipline and profession, which is primarily based on unmarked national identity and stereotypes functioning as an underlying force in the construction of 'otherness' (Righard, 2018;Schwarzer, 2016;Zhao and Moen, 2022). The latter approach can therefore be understood as a response to postcolonial critiques of the hegemony of Eurocentrism or 'Westernness' in global knowledge regimes, which is also juxtaposed with 'the professional imperialism' in SW (Midgley, 1983).…”

The art of not-knowing: Valuing diversity and intercultural competences in international social work education

“…Models for doing so have been developed by several scholars, including Chau (1990) or Fraser and Baker (2014). Nord University, Norway, developed another model, in collaboration with Chongqing University, China (Zhao and Moen, 2019), who created a short-term exchange program for their master’s students in social work. The exchange program was part of a collaboration project funded by the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU).…”

“…The questions from guest students formed a good point of departure for the following mixed student group work, in which the guest students and host students could engage in a collective process of doing critical reflections. As a matter of fact, the questions from the guest students framed in another social and cultural context also made the host students uncertain, which led to deconstructions of cultural differences, that is, how certain observed cultural differences are socially and institutionally constructed and how social, institutional, and even physical contexts are intertwined with the issue of culture (Zhao and Moen, 2019). One example of such deconstruction concerns the cultural practice of care within the family (e.g.…”