Social Work as Narrative

Storytelling and Persuasion in Professional Texts

First published in 1997, this volume constitutes a critical analysis of the contradictory portrayal of social workers. Christopher Hall sets the task of exploring how social workers make their work visible and justifiable through their talk and writing. He examines the language, explanation and analysis they use to explain their actions and assessments set within an atmosphere of criticism and controversy, given that they often seem unable to protect themselves due to uncertainty in their mandate and their often invisible trade. Hall’s study offers opportunities for key questions relating to social work, professionals and the handling of controversy, and to render social work documents more understandable through approaching them as narratives with readership.