‘This is a cage for migrants’
training’, while ‘39.5% would not treat a gay man/lesbian in the same way as they
would treat heterosexuals’. Although the majority of the students (52.1%) viewed
themselves as ‘rather positive’ or ‘positive’ towards homosexuals, two in five (40.9%)
identified themselves as ‘neutral’.
More recently, a study by Dedotsi et al (2015: 21) of social work students in Patras
TEI had shown that:
Delivered by Ingenta
IP : 94.67.166.95 On: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 07:25:18
Copyright The Policy Press
Students’ stereotypes and blaming approaches were observed to have remained
unchallenged within their education, and a profound lack of understanding
of the structural roots of oppression was revealed by the majority of them....
Consequently their role as social workers is perceived in narrow terms such
as providing individual support to a distressed individual or taking no action
because anything they might do is of little relevance in promoting change.
Given the general tendency in social work education in Greece towards individualistic
approaches (Ioakimidis, 2008; Teloni, 2011a), we decided to analyse the current
curricula of the four social work departments in Greece with regard to immigration
policy and racism. Although it is possible that other taught modules in the
departments may also refer to the issues of racism, multicultural social work and so
on, the curriculum is still an indicator (with its restrictions) of the general tendency.
Interestingly, our analysis revealed that the majority of social work departments
now include modules concerning immigration policy and multicultural social work
(see Table 1). In some, critical social work and anti-racist social work are the targets
of the modules. Undoubtedly, this development is a positive step for social work
education in Greece.
Still, it seems that multicultural social work dominates, at least in the titles of the
modules.14 The multicultural approach ‘lies at the core of the idea that most people
are not racist but lack appropriate awareness of cultural differences’ (Singh, 2014: 20).
Undoubtedly, social workers need to know and respect different cultures and values;
they also need to understand the complexity of the factors of an ‘identity’ (Lavalette
Table 1: Modules in social work departments in Greece
Academic
department
Modules about racism, immigration policy, anti-racist social work and
multicultural social work
Athens TEI,
Multicultural social work, particular references to and emphasis on anti-racist
Department of Social practice and anti-racist pedagogy
Work
Democritus
Critical social work and minorities (includes multicultural social work)
University of Thrace, Immigration and immigration policy
Department of Social References to critical and radical social work as the target of the modules
Administration and
Political Science
Crete TEI,
Multicultural social work (with references to racism, immigration policy and
Department of Social stereotypes and an emphasis on multiculturalism)
Work (Irakleio)
Patras TEI,
A general module entitled ‘Social work with population groups’
Department of Social
Work
Sources: Athens TEI (2014), Crete TEI (2014), Democritus University (2014), Patras TEI (2014)
197