Chapter 13 Further Resources

International Social Work 

Recommended Readings

Beah, I. (2007). A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Cobo, J.R.M. (1986). Study of the problem of discrimination against indigenous populations. New York: United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/publications/2014/09/martinez-cobo-study/

Corbin, J. (2012). Children and families affected by armed conflicts in Africa: Implications and strategies for helping professionals in the United States. Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers.

Cox, D., & Pawar, M.S. (2006). International social work: Issues, strategies, and programs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Denov, M.S. (2010). Child soldiers: Sierra Leone's revolutionary united front. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Gray, M., Coates, J., & Yellow Bird, M. (2008). Indigenous social work around the world: Towards culturally relevant education and practice. Aldershot, Hants, UK: Ashgate.

Healy, L.M. (2008). International social work: Professional action in an interdependent world. New York: Oxford University Press.

Midgley, J. (1981). Professional imperialism: Social work in the Third World. London: Heinemann.

Recommended Videos

  1. “Kusum”: Bhagat and the Demons (2000). 72 min. Jouko Aaltonen/Illume Oy Productions.

    The documentary explores cultural differences in mental health. It is about a 14-year-old Indian girl named Kusum and her family; Kusum quits eating, isolates herself, and experiences fits of rage. An experienced healer suggests she is being attacked by evil spirits. The family tests Western medicine at first, but then settles upon the traditional Indian spiritual healing.
  1. Invisible Children: Discover the Unseen. (2004). 55 min. J. Russel, B. Bailey, & L. Poole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUKsyA_z7n8

    The documentary film is about child soldiers and children involved in armed conflict with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. The film depicts the abduction of children used as child soldiers, and the many other human rights abuses. The documentary centres on a group of children who walk miles every night in order to seek places of refuge to avoid abduction by the LRA.
  1. The Aswang Phenomenon (2011). 86 min. Jordan Clark/High Banks Entertainment.

    The documentary explores the “Aswang” phenomenon in the Philippines. The “Aswang” is said to be a “mythical” creature that many Filipinos believe is real and can cause great suffering. The film is an exploration of cross-cultural beliefs about suffering.
  1. War Dance (2007). 105 min. Rogues Harbor Studios.

    The documentary follows three children living in a displacement camp in northern Uganda who compete in their country’s national music and dance festival.
  1. Sweet Dreams (2012). 89 min. Liro Films.

    The documentary highlights a group of Rwandan women who defy the devastation of the genocide to form the country’s first all-female drumming troupe and open the country’s first ice cream shop.

Recommended Websites

  1. The Movement for Global Mental Health. http://www.globalmentalhealth.org/

    This website is a network of individuals and organizations that aim to improve services for people living with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries where effective services are often scarce.
  1. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): The UN Refugee Agency. http://www.unhcr.ca/

    This website addresses the themes of refugees, where they are located, responses to humanitarian disasters, humanitarian affairs, and laws related to refugees.
  1. War Child Canada. http://www.warchild.ca

    The website addresses the history of War Child Canada, the places the organization works, the work they conduct, and ways to get involved.
  1. Social Workers Across Nations (SWAN). http://www.naswswan.org/

    The website provides a platform for social workers to offer their expertise and skills to serve humanitarian needs within the international community on a voluntary basis and to develop collaborative linkages with other countries around the world.
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