From labelling to social aid for immigrants in the 21st Century

Migration is as old as humanity, but since the 1990s migration flows in Western Europe have led to societies that are not just multicultural but so-called «super-diverse». As a result, Western towns now have very complex social structures, with amongst others large amounts of small immigrant communities that are in constant change. In this paper we argue that for social workers to be able to offer adequate professional help to non-native residents in town, they will need balanced view of ‘culture’ and of the role culture plays in social aid. Culture is never static, but is continually changing. By teaching social workers about how to look at cultural backgrounds of immigrant groups and about the limitations of then role that culture plays in communication, they will be better equipped to provide adequate aid and will contribute to making various groups grow towards each other and to avoid people thinking in terms of ‘out-group-homogeneity’. Nowadays, inclusion is a priority in social work that almost every social worker supports. Social workers should have an open attitude to allow them to approach every individual as a unique person. They will see the other person as the person they are, and not as a part of a specific cultural group. Knowledge about the others makes them see the cultural heterogeneity in every group. The social sector, though, must be aware not to fall into the trap of the ‘inclusion mania’! This will cause the social deprivation of a particular group to be forgotten. An inclusive policy requires an inclusive society. Otherwise, this could result in even more deprivation of other groups, already discriminated against. Emancipation of deprived people demands a certain target-group policymaking. Categorized aid will raise efficiency of working with immigrants and of acknowledging the cultural identity of the non-natives group. It will also create the possibility to work on fighting social deprivation, in which most immigrants can be found.

Ciudadanía heterogénea y colonización de las prácticas simbólicas micro y macro fronterizas

El objetivo de este ensayo es el de relacionar de forma reflexiva las nuevas dinámicas de colonización, dominación y poder contemporáneas, con las cartografías simbólicas de la ciudad global y sus respectivas fronteras o bordes sistémicos, muchos de ellos desapercibidos por las personas y atravesados por jerarquías y clasificaciones las cuales se hallan inmersas, a su vez,en una multidimensionalidad social tanto positiva como negativa que genera que podamos hablar de una indecibilidad de lo simbólico. En torno a ello se desprende, asimismo, el objetivo de repensar desde una perspectiva crítica y relacional el espacio urbano y heterogéneo en el cual confluyen formas diversas de identidad, subjetividad y aplicabilidad normativa y social de lo jurídico. Finalmente se dejará planteada la pregunta de hasta dónde puede llegar la agencia humana ante cada una de las distintas fronteras y bordes sistémicos y simbólicos de lo global-heterogéneo, considerando para ello aportes teóricos como los de Suely Rolnik, que indican que hoy en día existen subjetividades acríticas por las cuales el poder adquiere cierta plasticidad y hegemonía alienantes.