A most deafening silence is the effect created by the omission of Whiteness from racial discourses. Those within the social work profession, who seek to eradicate racism have for the most part, restricted their analyses to dissecting and defining the racial "Other". This has perhaps unwittingly implied an acceptance of "Whiteness" as an all-powerful, unnamed normality, exempted from the requirement of definition. This examination of White racial identity is an attempt to engage in a discussion of a different sort---exploring racism at its source. Those actively involved in the practice and/or study of Social Work in Montreal (Quebec) were asked to contemplate the meaning of "Whiteness" in society and in their own lives. Their interpretations were aligned with social and cultural interpretations, as well as my own interpretations. This study illustrates that, in spite of its elusive nature, Whiteness does indeed have very powerful meanings for those who have access to this racial category, those excluded, and the society in which we live.

Guided by a feminist intersectionality framework and conducted within an action research paradigm, this dissertation reports on how social workers in community health care respond to concerns of intimate partner abuse in the lives of older women. The study was undertaken in 18 publicly-funded community health and social services agencies (CLSCs) in Quebec, Canada. Interviews were carried out with 30 social workers and three focus groups were held with some of the same social workers. / In this dissertation, I argue that social workers in community health care might benefit from using certain theoretical frameworks, as they tend to see older women as a homogeneous group, view older women's agency as problematic, and lack a cohesive understanding of the problem of intimate partner abuse -- all of which leaves them less than optimally equipped for intervention. Furthermore, certain features of intimate partner abuse at the intersection of gender, age, and disability can make intervention very complex. As a result, social workers tend to view intimate partner abuse in the lives of older women as an intractable problem, rife with double-binds, contradictions, and tensions, which can leave them feeling powerless. / In the first three chapters of this dissertation I present the study's theoretical framework, its location within the empirical scholarship on intimate partner abuse, and the methods used. I also provide background information on the Quebec context of practice. Chapters 4 and 5 are empirical chapters reporting the findings as they relate to social workers' understandings and their responses. Chapter 6 is the concluding chapter and discusses the three principal findings. The first key finding was that the practice setting shapes social workers' understandings of and responses to the problem. The second key finding was that social workers could benefit from certain theoretical frameworks that would greatly enhance their practice. The third finding is that social workers view intimate partner abuse as both enduring and changing in form, frequency, and intensity over time. The implications for theory, practice, and research are offered for each key finding.

Bibliography: leaves [271]-280. / Microfiche. / vi, 280 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

This thesis critically analyses how social work practitioners construct moral-ethical decision-making in systems that are constituted as legal-rational authority and political-socioeconomic interests. Notions of moral-ethicality in practice are represented in social work literature and codified ethics in certain ways and this thesis argues that such representations do not conceive of ways in which the claimed ideals of social work might be achieved in the face of structural oppressions and power imbalance that facilitate disadvantage. A notion that there are possibilities for challenge and resistance by social work practitioners to the power of cultural pedagogy that is inherent in the discursive field of social work is articulated. This is a critical postmodern work with a postmodern approach and this thesis is premised on the works of Zygmunt Bauman, and his perspectives on morality, ethics, responsibility for the Other and power relations. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2003

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2007 / Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Social Work. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-101).

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2007 / Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Social Work. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-92).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990. / Abstracted in DAI-A 51/03, p. 1007, Sep 1990. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-140).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.A. (Human Rights))--Mahidol University, 2006.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-140).