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‘We do things that matter’: humanitarian representations of health and welfare services for forced migrants

‘We do things that matter’: humanitarian representations of health and welfare services for forced migrants

Pizzolati, Micol and Vacchelli, Elena (2021) ‘We do things that matter’: humanitarian representations of health and welfare services for forced migrants. Current Sociology. ISSN 0011-3921 (Print), 1461-7064 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/00113921211039263)

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Abstract

The article explores welfare and health practitioners’ representations of work practices and professional values underpinning their engagement with forced migrants within a polyfunctional health service in an Italian metropolitan city. It explores the integrated approach developed to cater for asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection’s specific needs. Building on interviews with health professionals and welfare workers, the article aims to critically discuss how concepts of care and responsibility are talked about and what kind of values underpin their work ethics. Humanitarian representations emerging from the narratives of health and welfare workers suggest that care and compassion are asymmetric and inherently racialised emotions and the use of vulnerability to depict service users can work to legitimise problematic practices as well as maintaining a focus on the compassionate saviours, whilst at the same time silencing people in need.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: care; forced migrants; health professionals; humanitarianism; social workers
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > Centre for Applied Sociology Research (CASR)
Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS)
Related URLs:
Last Modified: 18 May 2022 10:20
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/36263

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