TITLE OF THE DISSERTATION: "SOCIAL WORK, THEORY AND METHOD IN MARX: study of its mediation in the training and professional work of Social Workers in Belém/PA"
Student: FRANCISCO DOS SANTOS NETO
Summary: This Master's thesis aimed to: analyze the presence, in its different levels of expression, of the categories of the Marxian method, in the training and professional work of social workers, with a view to showing whether the theoretical-methodological direction assumed by the Curriculum Guidelines of the ABEPSS, have been referenced by professionals in the conduct of their professional work, which was investigated through the following specific objectives: 1) Identify the theoretical-methodological profile of social workers, with a view to revealing whether it is in accordance with what is recommended in the project ABEPSS professional training; 2) To elucidate the process of apprehending the categories of the Marxian method in the training process of social workers, in order to highlight the limits and possibilities of this mediation, as well as how this learning has been satisfactory in the opinion of the graduates; 3) Show how social workers express the contents of the Marxian method in socio-occupational spaces through values, principles, practices and handling of professional instruments and techniques, to reveal the strategies, limits and possibilities of this theory-practice mediation; 4) Know the professional vision of social workers about the influence of Marxian critical theory on Social Work and, consequently, its impact on professional work, with a view to verifying whether these professionals recognize its legitimacy. The investigative process was carried out under the guidance of Marxian theory and method, as it provides a set of categories, including: totality, contradiction and mediation, which allow a radical approximation to the determinations of reality and, consequently, of the object of study of this work, placing it in the logic of the movement of reality itself. Furthermore, the research was developed based on the mixed approach (quanti-qualitative) and the triangulation method, considering the use of quantitative, qualitative and documentary data. It is noteworthy that all methodological procedures were adapted for the remote modality, given the need for social isolation in the context of the Pandemic (COVID-19). An Electronic Form was applied with 338 social workers, as well as a qualitative interview with 06 professionals, from which 05 interviews were used, due to the loss of data from one of these. Regarding the results: the data reveal the predominant theoretical-methodological option for historical-dialectical materialism, in percentage terms 57% of the professionals claim to be in line with this theoretical perspective. There is no significant evidence of professionals linked to the positivist/functionalist, phenomenological/existentialist or post-modern perspective, given that the sum of those who claim to be in line with these theories is 3.26%. The percentage of 24.25% that refers to an a-theoretical perspective, with performance based only on legislation, is worrying, as well as the eclectic perspective that expressed itself in 8.88% and 6.21% did not know how to answer. Regarding the analysis of qualitative data, it was apprehended that the option for “Marxism” is not accompanied by conceptualizations/reflections about the categories in a way that reveals a domain of theoretical complexity over dialectical theory and method. However, in this researcher's assessment, professional work is influenced/mediated by this theory, as they reveal critical professional actions committed to social rights and accompanied by concepts and categories such as: guarantee of rights, ethical political and societal project, struggle of classes, social movements, revolution, among others.
Keywords: Social service. Theory and Method in Marx. Training and Professional Work of the Social Worker.
Review Board:
Prof. Dr. REINALDO NOBRE PONTES (Counselor)-UFPA
Profa. Dra. JOANA VALENTE SANTANA (Internal Evaluation) – UFPA
Profa. Dra. JANE CRUZ PRATES (External Evaluator)- PUC - RS
Location: Google Meet: https://meet.
Date: 12/20/2021
Home: 15:00