Convenors
Tiziana Tarsia, Cospecs Department, University of Messina
tiziana.tarsia@unime.it
Eleonora Costantini, Marco Biagi Foundation – University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
eleonora.costantini@unimore.it (corresponding)
Discussant
Francesca Maci, University of Parma
This panel explores the relationship between Social Sciences and Social Work as a paradigmatic and historically situated issue, focusing on the role of qualitative and ethnographic research in the production and use of knowledge within social work. Although this relationship has specific features in the Italian context, it can be better understood through a comparative and historical perspective, particularly by looking at developments in Anglophone and US contexts and tracing transformations from the post-war period through the 1960s and 1970s, the 1990s and the new century (Dellavalle, Mozzone, 2026; Tarsia, 2019).
At the core of this relationship lies a fundamental question: how is knowledge produced, legitimised and mobilised both in the design of social policies and in the education and everyday practice of social workers? This question is particularly relevant in areas such as housing, poverty, migration and community welfare, where practitioners engage with complex and changing social realities (Costantini, Nannetti, 2026). Qualitative and ethnographic approaches can provide distinctive forms of situated knowledge while challenging established boundaries between scientific, professional and experiential knowledge (Riva, 2014; Ricci, Tarabusi, 2024; Tarabusi, Galotti, 2024; Biffi, 2025; Costantini, D’Aguanno, Gallo, Nannetti, 2025; Tarsia, 2026).
The panel invites contributions examining how social research and social work intersect, overlap and transform one another. We welcome research on qualitative and ethnographic approaches in social work practice and education, the relationship between research methods and methods of social work, and reflexive, relational, participatory and collaborative forms of knowledge production. Contributions may also address action research, co-production, field diaries and other forms of writing and reflection in professional practice. Historical and comparative perspectives are particularly welcome.
By bringing together sociology, social work, anthropology and related fields, the panel aims to revisit classic questions about knowledge, professional expertise and social intervention through contemporary ethnographic and qualitative research.
Open questions
- How do scientific, professional and experiential forms of knowledge interact in social work?
- What can ethnography contribute to understanding and transforming social work practice?
- How do research methods and professional methods intersect and diverge?
- How are qualitative and ethnographic approaches incorporated into social work education?
- Which forms of knowledge become legitimate within welfare organisations and social policy?
- What are the possibilities and limits of participatory and collaborative knowledge production in social work and in the planning of local and national services?
- What role can experimentation with collective and reflexive writing (for example, professional, academic, but also other forms) have in the production of knowledge and the transformation of social work and organizational practices?
- How can research and professional practice jointly produce knowledge about changing welfare needs?
- How have the relationship between social research and social work changed across historical periods and national contexts?
Keywords
Ethnography; qualitative research; professional knowledge; experiential knowledge; knowledge co-production; social intervention; welfare practices.
Sub-disciplines / cross-disciplinary areas
Sociology; Social Work; Anthropology; Welfare Studies; Social Policy; Education and Professional Training.
References
Biffi, D. (2025). Auto-etnografia dell’accoglienza. Lavorare nei servizi per richiedenti asilo e rifugiati, Milano: Edizioni Junior
Costantini, E., D’Aguanno, MC., Gallo, G., Nannetti F. (2025). Meccanismi di impoverimento e conoscenza: una riflessione a partire dall’implementazione del Reddito di Cittadinanza a Modena. Social Policies 12 (1), 167-197.
Costantini, E. e Nannetti, F. (2026). From Policy to Practice. The Relational Cost of Digital Welfare: Evidence from Italy’s Reddito di Cittadinanza. In G. Punziano, D. Trezza, G. L. De
Luca Picione (Eds.), Digital Transformation in Welfare Systems: Data, Technologies, and Emerging Social Challenges. IGI Global.
Dellavalle, M., Mozzone, C. (2026). Il servizio sociale tra disciplina e professione. Storia, competenze ed etica, Roma: Carocci
Ricci B., Tarabusi F. (2024). Antropologia ed etnografia per i servizi socio-educativi, Milano: Edizioni Junior.
Riva V. (2014). Etnografia del servizio sociale. Professionalità e organizzazione nel lavoro dell’assistente sociale, Roma: Carocci.
Tarabusi F., Gallotti C. (2024). Mondi dell’antropologia, mondi dei servizi: incontri etnografici e pratiche trasformative. Milano : Ledizioni.
Tarsia T. (2026). Partire dalla riflessività per generare conoscenza nei servizi sociali. in P. Rossi, T. Tarsia (a cura di), Prospettive sul segretariato sociale. Esperienze di ricerca e di intervento sociale (pp. 21-30). Osservatorio Interdipartimentale Permanente sui Servizi Sociali e le Povertà.
Tarsia T.(2019). Sociologia e servizio sociale. Dalla teoria alla prassi, Roma: Carocci
Convenors’ bio
Tiziana Tarsia, is a sociologist at the Department of Cognitive, Psychological, Pedagogical, and Cultural Studies at the University of Messina, where she teaches courses on social research tools and methods, methodology and techniques of social research in the socio-educational field, and social research in educational and socio-educational contexts. Her research interests focus on professional social work practices within local organizations and the helping relationship; she is also interested in experimenting with participatory and collaborative research tools and techniques regarding knowledge production and management in social work.
Eleonora Costantini is a Senior Research Fellow at the Marco Biagi Foundation, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. Her research focuses on economic sociology and the sociology of welfare, with particular interests in welfare policies implementation, migration, social services, digital welfare. From 2019 to 2024, she was a Research Fellow at the Marco Biagi Department of Economics. Her research also explores the role of Third Sector Organizations and draws on qualitative and participatory research methods. Prior to joining academia, she spent fifteen years working in Third Sector Organizations, designing and implementing social interventions across different policy fields and coordinating complex operational units.