Abstract
Social work educators, students, and practitioners alike will appreciate the care Murakami and Akilova took in selecting authors for each of the 21 chapters in Integrative social work practice with refugees, asylum seekers, and other forcibly displaced persons, though they may not be able to get through the 527-page book in one semester. Despite its overwhelming length, the content is crucial for anyone wanting to work with refugees and displaced people at any level of practice—from micro to macro. While history, laws and policy, and theories for practice are covered throughout, one clear strength of the book is that it features voices of practitioners and forcibly displaced people through the sharing of practice and personal experience, which immediately leads credibility to the content.
The book opens with compelling statistics on forced displacement as it stands today—which is more than double what it was at the end of World War II—and the important and varied roles that social workers play in working with displaced people and advocating for their rights. The authors highlight the harm that can be and has been done when social workers and other professionals are hired as international consultants instead of “existing local experts who could have done the job more effectively, cost-efficiently, and more responsively to the local context” (p. 12). The importance of local control and refugees’ involvement in determining their own futures is not taken lightly in this text.
Many policies that were intended to benefit refugees and displaced people are reviewed and explained throughout. Yet, the authors do not shy away from discussing the gaps that exist due to the limited scope of some of the international conventions and the country-level policies of some of the wealthier nations who are more concerned about border control than offering hospitality to those fleeing violence or persecution. They also unashamedly explain that many of the root causes of displacement today are because of colonialism and its lasting impacts, which requires a human-rights and social justice-oriented response by social workers and other professionals, grounded in cultural humility. The chapters vary from those that are more globally focused to those that are aimed at micro-level practice, allowing educators to combine a macro focus with a micro perspective.
Despite the usefulness of the chapters that cover history, international law and conventions, and various theories that can be used in working with refugees, by far the most riveting chapter is, “Practicing internationally: Centering the refugee voice.” In the chapter, a Rwanda genocide survivor shares her personal story, highlighting the complexities and challenges of working with survivors. The perspective she shared about seeing agencies show up to bring aid after the genocide was over is enlightening and convicting … why is it that so often the help comes after the fact and not when it is needed most—to stop the war or genocide? Do aid workers come because they see a need and want to help meet it or because they want another adventure? (Nyiransekuye et al., 2023, p. 257).
The third part of the book offers unique insights into working with specific populations (such as survivors of trafficking or people who are stateless). These chapters are written by experienced practitioners who offer the historical context and laws that impact their work, but also speak into best practices from the field. The examples woven through each chapter bring to light the many levels of intricacy working with these populations entails and is a reminder that each client is the expert on his or her life and must be treated as such.
The chapter, “considerations for working with survivors of forced displacement,” is critical content, but its location in the middle of the text seems to get lost. Social workers (especially students) need to know the challenges that face them if they choose to work with displaced people, including burnout and/or vicarious trauma, being frustrated by possible resistance and discrimination they may see in their local context, and perhaps facing suspicion from their clients if they have had their trust betrayed in the past. This chapter logically makes more sense coupled with the final chapter—“the role of social work in the context of forced migration,” but in a course they could be assigned to be read together.
Overall, beyond the high quality of information presented, some of the more helpful aspects of the text are the pedagogical tools found at the end of each chapter. Discussion questions, reflection prompts, case studies, and other resources help ensure that the content presented does not stay abstract or theoretical but can immediately be applied for deeper learning. Despite its bulkiness, this text is a gift to social work students, practitioners, educators, and scholars that will be useful for years to come.
