Working with Men: Feminism and Social Work Kate Cavanagh and Vivienne E. Cree (Eds) Routledge, 1996; pp 212; £13.99 pbk
| Author | Jane Dominey |
| Date | 01 September 1996 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059604300312 |
| Published date | 01 September 1996 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
162
O’Brien
suggestively
describes
the
prison
as
’porous’
of
social
assumptions
and
attitudes,
but
(with
~pierenburg
an
honourable
exception)
there
are
too
few
explicit
and
coherent
connections
between
penal
developments
and
changes
in
social
structure
and
cultural
sensibility.
Disappointingly
too,
there
is
no
consideration
of
how
punishment
may
act
as
’a
social
institution
which
helps
define
the
nature
of
society,
the
kinds
of
relationships
which
compose
it,
and
the
kinds
of
lives
it
is
possible
and
desirable
to
lead
there’
(David
Garland,
not
m
this
s
volume).
There
are
plenty
of
engravings
and
some
coloured
plates -
the
work
of
prisoners
in
the
California Arts
in
Corrections
programme -
all
perturbing,
most
vivid
and
moving.
There
is
a
(powerful)
chapter
on
confining
political
dissent
and
another
on
the
literature
of
confinement
(disappointing).
Those
contributors
who
consider
what
history
can
teach
us
about
prisons
offer
no
encouragement
for the
present
or
future,
urging
scepticism
and
caution.
Morris
deplores
the
impact
of
’tough
on
crime’
policies,
commenting
that
’vote
gathering
by
these
mendacious
means
is
a
sin
against
the
future’.
Whether
titillating
the
electorate
or just
basking
in
the
warmth
of
their
righteous
indignation
about
crime,
politicians
are
failing
us
all
in
their
visions
of
imprisonment
and
their
ignorance
(or
perhaps
deliberate
neglect)
of
its
history.
Rob
Canton
Senior
Probation
Officer,
Nottinghamshire
Working
with
Men:
Feminism
and
Social
Work
Kate
Cavanagh
and
Vivienne
E.
Cree
(Eds)
Routledge,
1996;
pp
212;
£13.99
pbk
The
contributors
to
Working
with
Men,
feminist
researchers,
academics
and
social
work
practitioners,
argue
that
for
too
long
feminism
has
ignored
the
issues
involved
I
~y,~’
YrS’.f~
f
~
J,&dquo;
f~,
~tia
~0’
t!C
u
in
working
directly
with
men.
They
assert
that
feminist
social
work
practice
must
include
direct
work
with
men
as
part
of
a
broader
strategy
intended
to
empower
women.
The
essays
in
the
book
address
work
with
men
in
a
variety
of
settings -
includmg
prison,
programmes
for
perpetrators
of
domestic
violence,
divorce
counselling
and
youth
work.
Consideration
is
also
given
to
femmist
work
with
men
in
social
work
education
and
as
participants
in
anti-discriminatory
practice
training.
Each
contributor
writes
about
the
personal
and
political
factors
which
have
shaped
her
commitment
to
feminism
and
then
describes
the
impact
of
her
’feminist
lens’
on
her
practice.
The
diversity
of
women’s
experience
is
acknowledged,
as
is
the
impact
of
racism
and
heterosexism.
Most
chapters
begin
with
a
bit
of
an
apology
and
some
justification
about
the
decision
to
work
with
men.
There
is
sensitivity
to
the
criticism
that
this
work
strengthens
the
view
that
it
is
the
problems
of
individual
men
and
not
patriarchal
structures
that
oppress
women.
Also,
such
work
may
divert
resources
from
services
set
up
to
be
of
direct
benefit
to
women
and
children.
Contributors
are
keen
to
argue
that
women
are
their
first
priority
and
that
=
work
with
men
is
done
in
order
to
improve
the
quality
of
life
for
women.
Concern
is
expressed
that
to
leave
this
work
to
male
colleagues
risks
collusion
and
inappropriate
practice.
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