Spotlight on a Discipline: Social Work as the Academic Stranger.

Early German sociologist and philosopher Georg Simmel (1850-1918)'s image of society focused upon group interactions in modern life, where individuals are alienated from themselves, society, and their interactions cannot always be understood by applying natural laws. In one of his most influential works, "The Stranger" Simmel portrays individuals as "a wanderer who come today and stays tomorrow." Simmel's essay points to those who in society are both part of a community yet at the same time outsiders, those who are detached and near, or alienated and marginalized. Simmel's observations were of those individuals in Europe who were without a place--travelers and the marginalized. This position in society provided the stranger with a unique position in a community. However, this position can be alienating. While being a part of the community, "The Stranger" may also have the strength to empower and create structural and institutional change. Leading one to possibly draw parallels and ask, "Are social work educators' strangers in academia; are they an unidentified asset in university communities?"

The focus of "The Stranger" is on their relationship within the community. Simmel views the stranger as something of a mediator. In the essay "The Stranger" Simmel describes '...he is the freer man, practically and theoretically; he examines conditions with less prejudice; he assesses them against standards that are more objective; and his actions are not conformed by customs, piety, or precedent..." (1) The concept of the stranger is "...that a person may be a member of a group in a spatial sense but still not be a member of the group in a social sense." (2) The Stranger, according to American Sociologist George Ritzer, can be more objective than other group members in their interactions because of the closeness and distance of their roles. (3) For the social work education to fully become part of academia, the discipline must be equal to other social sciences, such as psychology. (4) As social work scholar Margaret Gibelman describes, social work as a profession that is constantly evolving based on social, economic, and political contexts. (5) This search for identity is part of the uniqueness of social work as a profession and academic discipline. Labeling the profession and academic discipline as human services, social services, or helping professions can create misunderstandings for students, academics, and the professional identity for those who practice.

Social work, like other professions within academia, is an integral part of the higher education system and is important to the overall university structures. Elisa Martin and Loretta Pyles have studied the role of social work at universities and view it as engaged and applied learning. Academically, social work is not confined to health professions, education, social sciences, criminal justice, business, but inclusive of all of these to develop knowledge and skills for practice. (6) Central to educating social work students is enlisting social work faculty to embrace the university's community as critical...