Revitalization

A key aim of the FGC movement is to challenge the mainstream social work paradigm and contribute towards de-colonization of social work. In the first article of this thesis, we argued that for delivering culturally adequate practice, the FGC model needs to adjust to the local context. One essential aspect of decolonizing social work is to reshape social services, in line with values, norms and methods from the local context of social work services. RESAK uses the term revitalize when talking about adjusting social services to traditional Sami culture.

One definition of revitalization is ‘to give new life to’ (dictionary.com). According to this definition, revitalization is not simply reusing old traditions. Rather, revitalization makes use of traditions at the same time as moving forward and forming new ones. According to RESAK, one way toward cultural adjustment of social work in Sami communities is to revitalize the use of extended family.

The process of revitalization does not mean going back to bygone traditions. Dankertsen (2014) shows how people in Lule Sami and Marka Sami areas speak about new ways of being Sami. In addition to searching for old traditional cultural categories, people are searching for new Sami fellowships in-between the Sami and Norwegian, and in-between the old and the

new in creative ways. Moving forward in creating Sami identities, these people move beyond the idea of Sami culture as something damaged and un-replicable.

In the second article of the thesis, we elaborate on how social workers in Sami communities construct ethnicity and culture as hybrid and changeable. The social workers move between the pluralities in ethnic identities whilst facilitating cultural meetings. When revitalizing family involvement in Sami social work practice, the methods being developed can draw upon these cultural expressions in-between the old and the new. In this way, the FGC model can embrace both the hybridity in peoples’ cultural connections as well as the traditional ideas of family and community fellowship.

7.2 ‘Professional closeness’ – social workers’ relation to clients and community

While undertaking the comparative study, the intention of involving family in social work practice was apparent among social workers in both the Sami and Native American

communities. According to the social workers, this involvement is rendered possible through their closeness and connection with the community. In the second article of this thesis, we show how culture and ethnicity are constructed differently in the contexts of Sami and Native American social work. Even though they construct culture differently, social work

professionals in both Sami and Native American communities describe connection to the local community as essential for culturally adequate social work. I label the focus on community and cultural connection ‘professional closeness’. Throughout the comparative study, the central themes in interviews with social workers were family involvement, local knowledge, historical contexts and cultural adjustment. The main narrative from social workers in both Sami and Native American communities is that deep knowledge of culture and local context is essential for delivering relevant and culturally adequate social work.

the two research sites. In this section of the discussion I build on the results from the second article. I investigate the social workers’ shared experiences of closeness to the local culture and community. I further discuss the aspects of cultural knowledge that the social workers bring up when they engage in dialogue on cultural adequacy in social work in their

community.

In the second article of the thesis, we show how social work professionals in Sami

community, as compared to Native American communities, construct culture and ethnicity as hybrid and fluid. In their construction, it is apparent that power inequalities as well as

contemporary and historical oppression receive little attention in the interviews in Sami communities. In the Native American interviews, we find that the construction of culture and ethnicity is more stable and fixed than in the interviews in Sami communities. Power

inequalities, contemporary and historical oppression play a central part in the construction of culture and ethnicity in the interviews with social workers in Native American communities.

The social workers in the Sami and Native American communities also construct

‘community’ differently. When talking about ‘communities’, the social workers in Sami communities refer to the fellowship among people living in the same area, while the social workers in Native American communities refer to the tribal and multi-tribal fellowships.

Three themes of community connection and knowledge run through the interviews in Sami communities. 1) Personal connection with people in the community, 2) insight into multiple ways of identifying as a Sami, and 3) comprehending the influence of multiple ethnic

identities in the local communities. Similarly, in the interviews with social workers in Native American communities, three core areas of community connection and knowledge emerge: 1) Familiarity with tribal family system, 2) insight into the impact of contemporary and

historical oppression, and 3) knowledge of traditional ceremonies, practices and activities. I

elaborate upon the differences and similarities between social workers in Sami and Native American communities in their approach to culturally adequate social work.