"Zoophilologica" 2(12)/2023 - nabór tekstów do 31 marca

2022-01-11

"Zoophilologica" 2(12)/2023

The veterinary social work as a new area of theory and practice  

Editors: Hanna Mamzer, Lucja Lange

  

        The veterinary social work is a new direction of thinking about the human and animal relations and a new direction of practical activities aimed at using the positive aspects of the human and animal relations in increasing the human well-being—in therapeutic and social rehabilitation activities. In this sense, the veterinary social work combines the interests and research fields of  a discipline that is already firmly established in science: the veterinary medicine; and in the field of a stable position in practice: the social work. Sociological, psychological, and other scientific disciplines appear inseparably in the background. The combination of these areas of reflection, but also the way of undertaking practical interventions, is a response to the increasingly clear social changes aimed at redefining the status of animals in human societies, but also indicating the value and the importance of the human–non-human relations. The four primary areas of concern for veterinary social work are mourning and the death of animals (grief and pet loss); human interaction supported by the presence of animals (animal-assisted interactions); the links between violence against animals and humans, and compassion fatigue and work-specific conflict management (see: https://vetsocialwork.utk.edu/about-us/). Social workers have been using the presence of animals in their interventions for several decades. Publications on this subject first included     a case-by-case analysis, which allowed for a gradual collection of data leading to the generation of generalized conclusions and theoretical considerations. Today, veterinary social work also deals with the ethical evaluation of the use of the animals’ presence to improve human well-being and analyzes the social consequences of using relationships with animals for therapeutic and rehabilitation purposes.

        Issues related to veterinary social work cover an increasingly broader spectrum of considerations regarding the presence of animals in human communities. The University of Tennessee in Knoxville was the first in the world to create a coherent program educating specialists in the field of veterinary social work, and the oath taken by graduates of this field defines the normative foundations of their work: “Specializing in veterinary social work, I pledge my service to society by tending to the human needs that arise in the relationship between humans and animals. From a strengths perspective and using evidence-based practice, I will uphold the ethical code of my profession, respect and promote the dignity and worth of all species, and diligently strive to maintain mindful balance in all of my professional endeavors.” 

        The subject we propose is an innovative contribution to interdisciplinary considerations on the theory and practice of social work. Only the past decade has brought the first publications on this subject in Anglo-Saxon countries—they are mostly single articles, not collected thematic volumes. More so, this area of the human and non-human relations requires in-depth scientific reflection.

        In the volume we want to discuss the most current challenges and successes of veterinary social work, presenting them in the context of the concept of “one health”— the idea of ​​an inextricable connection between the health and well-being of humans and other animals using the frame of symbolical interactionism and interpretative approach. We invite authors to submit abstracts of texts concerning, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Therapeutical relations between humans and animals
  • Rehabilitation with the participation of animals
  • The importance of relationships with animals for different categories of people
  • Animals and humans in the face of human life crises
  • Animal support and costs
  • Mourning, sadness, trauma and stress related to human and animal relationships
  • Support for people working with animals: veterinarians, veterinary technicians
  • Violence against people and its connection with violence against animals
  • Child abuse against animals
  • Therapies, education, activities involving animals
  • Passive and active roles ascribed to animals in relationships with people
  • Animal death as a trauma, helping people to cope with it.

 Deadline : March 31, 2022