Elena Yarskaya-Smirnova, with the support of the Federal Social Science Foundation and the Higher School of Economics, took part in the conference of the European Association of Social Work Researchers “Social Connectedness – Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities”
From 23 to 26 June, the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (Austria) hosted the conference of the European Association of Social Work Researchers “Social Connectedness – Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities”
The conference began with workshops of the working groups on “Human Rights and the Legacy of the Holocaust in Contemporary Clinical Social Work” and “Research in Social Work” of the Austrian Society for Academicization, Professionalization and Legal Situation of Social Work. In Austria, as in a number of other European countries, researchers, teachers and specialists in the field of social work strive to promote the professional status of this type of occupation. In her plenary lecture, Professor Darja Zaviršek from Slovenia raised the pressing question of the possibilities of interconnection in today's polarized and fragmented world, pointing to the challenges faced by the pioneers of social work and examples of transnational solidarity in the past and present of this profession. Master classes, sectional sessions, subsequent plenary lectures and discussions developed the theme of cohesion and mutual coherence in a situation of chaos, environmental and political crises. In contemporary research and education in the field of social work, judging by the lectures, the role of critical participatory research and public social science is noticeably growing. These topics are also the subject of articles from the journal Social Work Education, whose editors arranged a meeting with interested future authors, and books from the publishing house Springer, which held its exhibition in the foyer of the conference.
Elena Yarskaya-Smirnova gave a report on "Social (in)coherence of vulnerable groups in Russia: media frames of exclusion and inclusion", presenting the results of a comparative content analysis of representations of children with disabilities and children of migrants in Russian newspapers over the past 20 years. In defense of the inclusion of both groups, journalists speak from a humanist perspective, referring to the rights of the child and arguments about the civilized nature of the host society. In addition to these arguments, the so-called discourse of productivism arises, when inclusion is explained in terms of benefits, in particular, due to the increase in the labor force and the contribution of representatives of vulnerable groups to the well-being of society. With regard to the inclusion of migrant children, motives of danger and risks are heard to a greater extent than children with disabilities. The problems of children with disabilities, unlike the children of migrants, are discussed in the context of solidarity between parents and professionals, and such solidarity is presented both for and against inclusion. The results of frame analysis allow us to identify and deconstruct myths that reduce images of vulnerable groups to a few clichés, and to recognize the stigmatizing and limiting role of such stereotypes that deprive children and their families of the chances for full social participation.
The reports presented at plenary and sessional sessions, lively discussions in sections and during breaks allowed us to compare our own planned research prospects and contribute to the agenda of the European Association for Social Work Research.
Elena R. Iarskaia-Smirnova
Laboratory Head