"soziales_kapital": MCI Shapes Key Academic Debates

Contributions from the Department of Social Work address gender equality and current challenges in Social Work practice

The journal soziales_kapital is regarded as the leading publication forum for Social Work scholars in Austria. Since 2008, it has featured studies in the fields of Social Work, social policy, and social management. Through this focus, the online journal aims to promote scholarly discourse on Social Work in Austria and to make scholarly publications available to an internationally interested readership via an editorial review process in an open-access format.

In doing so, the journal also contributes to the development of an academic community centered on the discipline of Social Work, as it supports the publication activities of faculty members and graduates of university Social Work programs.

The Department of Social Work is part of the editorial team. At the Innsbruck campus, Laura Feith-Gonzalez, teaching & research assistant, and the department team of lecuturers are involved in the editorial work (for Volume #31: Iris Altenberger).

The current issue features fascinating articles from our department. Volume #31 focuses on discourses and aspects of “gender justice” in its “Theme” section. Over the past 16 years, soziales_kapital has addressed many facets of this topic, although numerous aspects remain that have been little explored theoretically and, above all, empirically. Some articles in this special issue may help to fill some of these gaps:

For example, the article by Katharina Flunger-Lang (under the “Theme” section) examines various intersectional approaches to Social Work in the context of counseling and supporting migrants from communities that practice “female genital mutilation/cutting” (FGM/C). The findings from the dissertation illustrate that an intersectional perspective at the societal, institutional, and interactional levels is a prerequisite for making power relations and inequalities visible in their interconnectedness.

Another contribution to the issue’s focus, with a connection to Innsbruck and the MCI, was published by our external lecturer Julia Schratz. In this piece, the executive director of “lilawohnt” reflects on the history and current developments of the organization, which offers specialized services for homeless women* in Tyrol.

In addition, other compelling articles encourage a systematic examination of complex social issues and the challenges facing Social Work today. For example, the article by Moritz Reisberger (under the “Social Work Science” section) shares current findings from MCI research projects on the day-to-day practice of Social Work in Tyrol during times of multiple crises: A practice that faces challenges, intensifying pressures, and difficulties at various levels, yet remains highly active and is able to implement the profession’s own values to the best of its knowledge and belief.

The ongoing publication of scholarly articles by the MCI Department of Social Work in the journal provides extensive insights into its own research activities in a central publication format for Social Work. All of this accordingly supports the journal’s focus: the establishment of Social Work as a discipline, further theoretical conceptualization of Social Work, the promotion of applied research in the field, and the reflection on Social Work practice at the local, regional, and international levels.