Social empowerment through knowledge transfer: Transborder actions of Hong Kong social workers in mainland China

Yi Kang*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

    1 Citation (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This is a study of a group of Hong Kong social workers who have worked in mainland China for the past decade building a social work profession. In an unfamiliar environment full of uncertainties and obstacles, the interactions of these overseas professionals with local state and societal actors have effected change in the transmission of knowledge and techniques across borders, forging of local alliances to initiate change, adaptation of professional practices to local contexts, and contestation of encroachments on their professional autonomy, ethics, and standards. In their endeavours to introduce novel knowledge and practices into the mainland, these social workers have actively engaged with state agents and inspired indigenous societal actors, attempting to turn them into ‘rooted cosmopolitans’ and to create opportunities and platforms for state-in-society rather than state-versus-society scenarios.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)179-200
    Number of pages22
    JournalChina Information
    Volume35
    Issue number2
    Early online date18 Aug 2020
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2021

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • General Arts and Humanities
    • General Social Sciences
    • Economics, Econometrics and Finance(all)

    User-Defined Keywords

    • local governance
    • professional action
    • rooted cosmopolitans
    • social empowerment
    • social work
    • transborder activism

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