The Origin and Evolution of the term "Social Work"

Authors

Wade Luquet, Gwynedd Mercy UniversityFollow
Stephen Monroe Tomczak, Southern Connecticut State UniversityFollow

Keywords

History, social work, Simon Patten, settlements, profession

Abstract

The origin of the term “social work” has long been misattributed to the 1907 work of economist Simon Patten. While Patten’s contribution to social work is important, though mostly forgotten, the term had been used long before regarding the work of nuns and settlement workers. Quoting archival and historical findings, this article traces the origin, evolution, and widespread use of the term “social work.” The words of the early founders of social work are utilized to tell the story of how the work of persons doing “the social work” of the church or settlement evolved into the name of the profession. These shifts in terminology in social work’s early history have influenced the subsequent direction of the field up to the present day.

Recommended Citation

Luquet, Wade and Monroe Tomczak, Stephen (2022) "The Origin and Evolution of the term "Social Work"," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 49: Iss. 2, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.4599
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol49/iss2/4