1 Introduction
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John Gal
Abstract
This chapter discusses a number of themes that underlie this edited volume on the transnational history of the Settlement House Movement. The themes include the motivations for establishing settlement houses and the differences and similarities that these had on the transnational translation of this idea; the unique role of women in the Settlement House Movement; and the Movement’s impact on the social work profession and upon social work and sociological research. The diverse cases discussed in this book offer an insight into the development of settlement houses in various countries and present a corrective to the tendency within social work to associate settlement houses exclusively with a change-oriented, community-based, social reform agenda. They do not only contribute to knowledge on a key element in the emergence of social work but also introduce a unique historical approach to the study of the Settlement House Movement, which adopts a critical and transnational perspective.
Abstract
This chapter discusses a number of themes that underlie this edited volume on the transnational history of the Settlement House Movement. The themes include the motivations for establishing settlement houses and the differences and similarities that these had on the transnational translation of this idea; the unique role of women in the Settlement House Movement; and the Movement’s impact on the social work profession and upon social work and sociological research. The diverse cases discussed in this book offer an insight into the development of settlement houses in various countries and present a corrective to the tendency within social work to associate settlement houses exclusively with a change-oriented, community-based, social reform agenda. They do not only contribute to knowledge on a key element in the emergence of social work but also introduce a unique historical approach to the study of the Settlement House Movement, which adopts a critical and transnational perspective.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of boxes, figures and tables ix
- Notes on contributors x
- Acknowledgements xiv
- Introduction 1
-
The transnational transfer of the settlement house idea
- A brief transnational history of the Settlement House Movement 15
- Berlin’s municipal socialism: a transatlantic muse for Mary Simkhovitch and New York City 35
- The French maisons sociales, Chicago’s Hull-House scheme and their influence in Portugal 51
- Settlement houses and the emergence of social work in Mandatory Palestine 73
-
The interface between the Settlement House Movement and other social movements
- University extension and the settlement idea 91
- Between social mission and social reform: the Settlement House Movement in Germany, 1900–30 109
- To be an Englishman and a Jew: Basil Henriques and the Bernhard Baron Oxford and St George’s Settlement House 129
- The English settlements, the Poor Man’s Lawyer and social work, circa 1890–1939 145
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Research in settlement houses and its impact
- Putting knowledge into action: a social work perspective on settlement house research 163
- Animating objectivity: a Chicago settlement’s use of numeric and aesthetic knowledges to render its immigrant neighbours and neighbourhood knowable 181
-
Final reflections
- ‘The soul of the community’: two practitioners reflect on history, place and community in two community-based practices from 1980 to 1995: St Hilda’s Community Centre in Bethnal Green and Waterloo Action Centre in Waterloo, South London 201
- Conclusion 221
- Index 231
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of boxes, figures and tables ix
- Notes on contributors x
- Acknowledgements xiv
- Introduction 1
-
The transnational transfer of the settlement house idea
- A brief transnational history of the Settlement House Movement 15
- Berlin’s municipal socialism: a transatlantic muse for Mary Simkhovitch and New York City 35
- The French maisons sociales, Chicago’s Hull-House scheme and their influence in Portugal 51
- Settlement houses and the emergence of social work in Mandatory Palestine 73
-
The interface between the Settlement House Movement and other social movements
- University extension and the settlement idea 91
- Between social mission and social reform: the Settlement House Movement in Germany, 1900–30 109
- To be an Englishman and a Jew: Basil Henriques and the Bernhard Baron Oxford and St George’s Settlement House 129
- The English settlements, the Poor Man’s Lawyer and social work, circa 1890–1939 145
-
Research in settlement houses and its impact
- Putting knowledge into action: a social work perspective on settlement house research 163
- Animating objectivity: a Chicago settlement’s use of numeric and aesthetic knowledges to render its immigrant neighbours and neighbourhood knowable 181
-
Final reflections
- ‘The soul of the community’: two practitioners reflect on history, place and community in two community-based practices from 1980 to 1995: St Hilda’s Community Centre in Bethnal Green and Waterloo Action Centre in Waterloo, South London 201
- Conclusion 221
- Index 231
