the cultural mediator bridging the gap between a non-western文化中介在非西方文化之间的鸿沟.pdfVIP

British Journal of Social Work (2001) 31, 665–685 The Cultural Mediator: Bridging the Gap Between a Non-Western Community and Professional Social Work Practice Alean Al-Krenawi and John R. Graham Alean Al-Krenawi, PhD, is senior lecturer in social work and Director of the Center for Bedouin Studies and Development at Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva. Israel. John R. Graham, PhD, is associate Professor of social work at the University of Calgary, Canada. Their co-edited book on multicultural social work in Canada, published by Oxford University Press, will be appearing in 2002. Correspondence to Alean Al-Krenawi, Department of Social Work, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Box 653, Beer-Sheva, Israel, 84105. Email: alean@bgumail.bgu.ac.il; John R. Graham, Fac- ulty of Social Work, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada. Email: jrgraham@ucalgary.ca Summary This paper analyses a demonstration project that enabled social workers to practise effectively in their home community (a Bedouin-Arab city in the Negev, Israel) where gender relations are patriarchal and the interface of social work and cultural practices had previously impeded professional functioning. Collaborative work with cultural mediators, individuals with high social status and knowledge of community traditions, rendered interventions more culturally appropriate, bridged gaps between the cultural and professional canons, and promoted social work’s role in a society that had a limited understanding of, and experience with, the profession. Future social work practice and research could focus on further enhancing women’s choice making opportunities in this patriarchal culture. In the Arab world, professional socialization is seen to create potential barriers to effective practice (Al-Dabbagh, 1993; Al-Krenawi, 1998; Al-Krenawi and Graham, 2000; Azaiza and Brodsky, 1996;