The purpose of this thesis is twofold. There is an attempt to discover the contributions which the Society of Friends has made to social work through the study of the background of the Society, and the current activities of its social work division, the American Friends Service Committee. A second objective has been the intensive study and analysis of one section of the AFSC, so as to contribute a modest piece of research to this organization. The material was gathered from interviews and correspondence with Friends, workers with the AFSC, social workers; analysis of a questionnaire; personal observation through participation in a St. Paul work camp and available publications on this subject. Chapter 1 defines social work, its concepts, principles, and methods. It also gives a brief description of the origin and growth of the Society of Friends as it pertains to the profession of social work. Chapter 2 describes the current activities of the AFSC—the largest social work organ of this religious sect. The strengths and weaknesses of the AFSC administration as compared with other social work agencies are portrayed in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 provides an analysis of the Mexico volunteer work camp projects. A questionnaire was sent to 300 volunteer work campers with the AFSC from 1951 through 1953. Fifty four percent were returned in the allotted time. This study revealed that work campers are a potential source of supply for the profession of social work—particularly social group work, community organization, and social action, though in addition, a goodly number engage in case work. There was individual resistance to writing down the techniques and a greater emphasis on their practical application; something which proved to be true of the organization as a whole, as was demonstrated in the study of AFSC administration in Chapter 3. Chapter 5 is an attempt to analyze the theory and practice of social work by the AFSC. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Thesis (B.A.) -- Haverford College, Dept. of History, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation analyzes how government agencies influenced the religious expression of Mormons of the Territory of Utah in the 1870s and 1880s, Quakers of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, and Muslims of Brooklyn, New York, from 2002 to 2013. I argue that nineteenth-century federal marshals and judges in the Territory of Utah, mid-twentieth century FBI agents throughout the United States, and New York Police Department officers in post-September 11 New York were prompted to monitor each religious community by their concerns about polygamy, communism, and terrorism, respectively. The government agencies did not just observe the communities, but they probed precisely what constituted religion itself.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boise State University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-108).

Thesis (M.A.)--Boise State University, 2009. / Title from t.p. of PDF file (viewed May 28, 2010. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-108).

This project addresses the contemporary and competing non-state governmentalities in the Gaza Strip through an analysis of the 1948-1967 period. During this period the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) constructed early notions of non-state 'governance' and quasi-citizenship in Gaza. The majority of this research focuses on these organizations in the 1948-1967 period, however, there is a case study that addresses the way in which these competing models of non-sovereign administration impacted the approaches used since 2007 by Hamas. The distinct histories and experiences of administration under each organization has created competing notions of what components constitute an assembled notion of citizenship in Gaza. Specifically, the bureaucratic categorization preferred by UNRWA conflicts with Hamas' focus on individualized service based on the tradition of shura (consultation) and youth training, in particular. Several approaches to governance in Gaza are common to the three major faith-based organizations discussed here (the AFSC, the YMCA, and the Hamas). Notably, these organizations create sacred spaces and processes as a mechanism of governance, allowing them to exert control over the population. In particular, the manner in which two distinct international organizations – UNRWA and Hamas – came to operate parallel state structures in the Gaza Strip, and the way that these two organizations imbue citizenship like rights and responsibilities on the populations that they serve is of particular interest. In this way governance in the Gaza Strip has completed a circuit: from the faith-based Friends to the faith-based Hamas, with UNRWA as the constant secular parallel authority. Through an examination of organizational archives, memoirs, and interviews this project links these events, arguing that the institutional records of these organizations provide an illuminating path to better understand the situation of governance in Gaza today.

No description available.