The Battle for Benevolence: Scientific Disciplinary Control vs. "Indiscriminate Relief": Lexington Associated Charities and the Salvation Army, 1900 - 1918

Authors

Karen Tice, University of Kentucky

Abstract

This historical case study explores the conflicts that emerged between the Scientific Charity Organization movement and the evangelical Salvation Army. At issue were two sets of reform styles, each legitimated by distinct sources of authority. The Salvation Army's practice was anchored in a religious understanding. Scientific Charity, battling for hegemonic control, espoused a rising positivistic worldview and championed disciplinary techniques for sorting the poor into binary categories of worthy and unworthy. This study illuminates the changing nature of social relations between charity workers and recipients and the construction of professional welfare methods.

Recommended Citation

Tice, Karen (1992) "The Battle for Benevolence: Scientific Disciplinary Control vs. "Indiscriminate Relief": Lexington Associated Charities and the Salvation Army, 1900 - 1918," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 19: Iss. 2, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.2021
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol19/iss2/6