The book, Pacific Social Work: Navigating Practice, Policy and Research, adds to a growing body of applied literature on Pacific Islander well-being. Editors Jioji Ravulo, Tracie Mafile‘o, and Donald Bruce Yeates bring together case studies on mental health, disabilities, families, youth, elders, adults, alcohol, and domestic and family violence which encourage positive international exchanges in terms of being able to offer solutions to these persistent issues. At the end of the book, there are two chapters which concern social policy and research as well as a chapter of reflections. The book has five parts: Pacific Social Work, Fields of Practice, Social Policy, Research, and Future Directions. As an emerging field, the editors provide a plethora of examples in which Pacific-Indigenous perspectives inform healing and well-being for both the individual and the community.
Part 1 provides through three chapters an introduction to Pacific social work. This includes a contribution of a historical and contemporary description of the places and people, perspectives, beliefs, and cultural practices. The authors guide the reader through impacts of professional imperialism and encourages social workers to invite rather than define meaning in their practice. This section culminates with a chapter focused on Pacific-Indigenous social work theory and models which may be applied in the field of practice.
Comprised of 13 chapters, part 2 (Fields of Practice) makes up the bulk of the book with each chapter addressing a specific social work topic and illuminates it with a case study. The topics addressed in this section include abilities, illnesses, or environmental justice from a Pacific perspective to applying culturally appropriate approaches when working with Pacific-Indigenous offenders. Chapters in this section further delve into application of Pacific-Indigenous approaches to Pacific social work. They emphasize the role of cultural differences in providing mental health care, effective intervention, meaningful involvement of local people in the mental health process, and a series of outcomes witnessed in the context of a developing island nations, climate change, relocation, and the impacts of trauma in one person and how this burden may be handled at the community level. The authors of these chapters provide several examples of the tangible benefits of a Pacific-Indigenous approach to Pacific social work, including improved overall well-being of an individual and the community in which they live, improved care through cross-cultural understanding for colonized or diasporic people, and increased access to care. Conversely, one of the ramifications of inadequate social work—for reasons of availability, policy, or programming— can be the cost of offenders to society.
While helping the reader develop an understanding of some of the approaches to practicing social work in the Pacific contexts, there are sections which address examples of Pacific-Indigenous responses and consequences a patient may experience. Through examples of Pacific-Indigenous responses to inappropriate behavior, an offender may experience consequences or responses to their disrespect toward specific cultural values rather than the offense itself. The editors’ careful selection of case studies supports the role development polices can have in marginalizing local knowledge, highlights the results of a Pacific approach to social work, and collectively exemplifies the interconnectedness of the individual, family, community, and natural environment while also preparing the reader for part 3’s focus on policy impacts on a person and their social network.
Directing the reader’s attention to policy aspects of social work, part 3 (solely chapter 18: “Navigating Social Policy Processes in the Pacific”) reflects on the possibility of local and national policies to align with regional and global policies in addressing the social issues experienced by those living in the Pacific diaspora. The authors encourage policymakers and social workers to consider the consequences of accelerated migration and to incorporate the diasporic people into their practice. This chapter, combined with part 2, reflects opportunities for increased participation by practitioners, more research, and elaboration of case studies. Equally, the authors emphasize presenting this in a united position when informing global decision-making.
Part 4 (chapter 19: “Towards a Pacific-Indigenous Research Paradigm for Pacific Social Work”) encourages a reconceptualization of what decolonization means and how it can manifest amidst technology, politics, alliances, climate change, and global pandemics to name a few. On the premise that research informs practice, programming, and policy, this chapter “Towards a Pacific-Indigenous Research Paradigm for Pacific Social Work” advocates for such an approach to be employed to achieve social justice and well-being to benefit Pacific people. This chapter discusses the application of four approaches, kakala, vanua, talanoa, and fa‘afaletui, increasingly utilized in Pacific research and with respective communities. The authors analyze Pacific-Indigenous research approaches, approaches that “advocate for Indigenous research paradigms and decolonisation of research” (211) to promulgate informed practice and encourage positive health outcomes.
Regarding future directions for the practice of social work, part 5 emphasizes integration of Indigenous knowledges into social work (solely chapter 20). While social work as a formal profession came from the West and is new to the Pacific in that respect, it would behoove practitioners to recognize that prior to globalization, cultural norms existed for handling social issues. Thus, the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives would strengthen the field and promote cross-cultural understanding for education, policy, and research, rather than privileging dominant Western discourses on the practice.
The five sections of this edited volume reveal distinctive chapters with at least one case study and a set of reflection questions for the social work topic of the chapter. This makes it an excellent complement to college textbooks for students with courses in social science and health related disciplines and for practitioners in Pacific Islander communities around the world. This collection of case studies can serve students in their development of a deeper understanding of the role of culture in providing decolonized and culturally-informed healthcare that promotes Pacific-Indigenous Islander well-being.
Ashley Meredith