ZLATANA KNEZEVIC research page

Courses in International Social Work 2024

I coordinated the courses International Social Work: Contemporary Debates and Practices from January until the 31st of June 2024. The courses began with a theoretical module that introduces students to a critical conceptual toolbox. We addressed global power dynamics, notions such as ‘professional imperialism’, as well as commonly used social work expressions such as ‘cultural competence’.

From climate changes in Morocco and solidarity kitchens in Europe to disaster relief in Indonesia and peace processes in Sudan

The courses gave examples of the many areas of social work in international contexts. Internationalisation on the ‘home front’ and transnational social work that transcends national borders were also highlighted.

The students often discussed the current situation in Gaza, social work in conflicts areas and in other areas that are affected by human-made disasters. Some students chose to focus on feminist transnational organisations.

We also had five guest lecturers representing different types of social and development work. These amazing lecturers covered many themes ranging from child protection work in Morocco (Foundation Amane pour la protection de l’enfance), peace support operations (FBA), environmental social work, solidarity kitchens and changing welfare state systems. The guest lectures are addressed here.

Heterogenous student groups

The students had diverse educational backgrounds and several were from countries other than Sweden or they had previously lived in other countries. This diversity made the sessions into an enriching experience. I have a reputation as a teacher for forgetting breaks, and this time I lived up to it! The seminars were so stimulating that I frequently forgot the time! Looking forward to the next round in January 2025!

De/gendering and racialising – what has childhood got to do with it?

I often ask feminist questions in critical childhood studies research contexts. However, in the co-authored article “De/gendering violence and racialising blame in Swedish child welfare: what has childhood got to do with it?” (2021), children and childhoods are highlighted in relation to common feminist debates.

Protective Solutions in Child Welfare? Insights from a Finnish-Swedish co-writing project

In 2018, I had the amazing opportunity to visit University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland. One of the results from this visit is the joint publication “Gender- and power sensitivity, securitisation and social peace: rethinking protection for children exposed to post-separation violence”.

Why anthropology? (Serendipity)

Updated 2021/08/14

“But why anthropology?”. I was asked the question shortly before finishing my doctoral thesis. It is rather uncommon to refer to so many anthropological studies in a thesis that is not based on ethnography and is, in addition to this, written within the field of child welfare social work. In social work, it is more common to refer to sociologists, psychologists, and political scientists. So why anthropology?

Barns röst?

Informanters autentiska röst har länge problematiserats, så även barns, bl. a. av barndomsforskaren Spyros Spyrou.¹ För att förstå denna problematisering räcker det att föreställa sig hur “barns röster” cirkulerar och modifieras genom otaliga kanaler.

The never-ending story: Disciplines

z. knezevic 2019 surviving as a critical scholar challenges and affirmative approaches excerpt from conference presentation g19 rethinking knowledge regimes - solidarities and contestations

Academia-Art

I not only use creative expressions that help me in my writing or to communicate the message of my texts. I have also experimented with a small project that I call Academia-Art (2019-2020) which is visible below. It raises questions about the reuse of knowledge and has also helped me to express challenging experiences in academia. Below, I describe this in Swedish, the language of my academic contexts.