Social Work in Slovenia and Yugoslavia

What did social work look like under European state socialism – and what can this history teach us today? Darja Zaviršek, the leading scholar on the history of social work in Slovenia and the former socialist countries, uncovers how the profession developed between 1945 and 1990.

Drawing on a unique political, social and ideological landscape, this book traces the evolution of social work across Yugoslavia. It challenges simplistic ideological narratives on both sides of the Iron Curtain and offers a nuanced understanding of social work as both a vehicle of state control and a site of empowerment – particularly for women.

Providing critical insight into how ideology, gender and welfare intersected in socialist Europe, this book invites reflection on how these histories continue to shape contemporary social work practice and values.