International Social Work: Professional Action in an Interdependent World. (Book Notes).

Lynne M. Healy, International Social Work: Professional Action in an Interdependent World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. $32.95 papercover.

There has been a rapid increase in the number of academic articles and books on the topic of international social work in recent years. Although the profession has been engaged in international activities for decades, the literature on the subject has previously been extremely limited. On the other hand, publications in the cognate field of international and comparative social welfare have been plentiful. But detailed accounts of how social workers function in different parts of the world, of the diverse roles they play, of how the profession is organized and of the common features in professional practice in different countries are relatively recent.

Lynne Healy's book is a welcome addition to the growing literature in the field. Written specifically as a textbook, it will be widely used in the classroom. The book is well organized, comprehensive and very readable. It begins with a useful historical account of international collaboration in social welfare and then provides biographies of leading pioneers in the field. Extensive information about social work in different parts of the world is given and the values and ethics of international professional action are discussed. Healy's previous work on international organizations in the field is augmented by a thorough discussion of this topic. She also addresses the issue of how social work should function in a dynamic globalizing world and offers a helpful and insightful analysis of this complex topic. A chapter dealing with the relationship between international and domestic social work practice is discussed in some depth.

The book is ideally suited to students interested in international social work and it deserves to be widely adopted. However, the book should not be viewed only as a textbook. It has educational value for the whole profession which is still narrowly focused on domestic concerns. Indeed, as Healy has argued in previous publications, social workers in the United States are still insular and students have a very limited exposure and understanding of the way people's lives are being shaped by global forces. In addition, as immigrants of non-European origins flow into the country, there is an urgent need to link the profession's commitment to multiculturalism with a new commitment to internationalism. The fact that the Council on Social Work Education, which accredits social work programs in the United States, has recently adopted new accreditation standards that effectively discriminate against immigrant social worker educators is just one example of how much educating is still required.

Lynne Healy has many years of first hand experience of international activities in social work and she has published extensively on the subject. She is well equipped to produce a textbook that will be widely used by students. Her book should also be read by social work practitioners who need to understand the way societies are changing as a result of being integrated into a global world system. The author shows how the profession needs to adapt to these changes and embrace the opportunities offered by internationalism and increased global integration ...