Social Work Literature – Some Historical Facts

For twenty years (1936-1956) there was no book on Social Welfare / Social Work in India. Early publications ‘Social Welfare and Anthology’, bulky volume sponsored by Planning Commission, Published by Publication Division, Govt. of India, New Delhi, 1956.  No conceptual clarity about social welfare. An abridged edition was published in 1959.  

Another Anthology edited by A.R. Wadia, planned, sponsored by TISS faculty was published by Allied Publishers, Bombay, 1959. Title: History and Philosophy of Social Work in India. Faculty members of TISS and Alumni including me were the contributors in second edition in 1962.

‘Medical Social Work’ in India by S. H. Pathak DSSW Delhi, 1961, ‘Social Legislation in India’ – by V. V. Shashtri, Planning Commission sponsored – published by Publication Division, Government of India. And ‘A Century of Social Reform in India’ by S. Natarajan, Asia Publishing House, 1962 are the three single author books on a single theme or topic, to be published during the early 1960’s . Note that for twenty years there was no book on social work or social welfare in India.

There was the Indian Journal of Social work quarterly published by TISS since 1940. What did the students learn about social work in India? What were the sources? Lectures by teaches in from social work educational institutions in Bombay Delhi, Baroda and Madras? From where did the teachers get what they taught about India? Did they teach anything about social work in India? Questions to ponder.

Social work literature including Social Work research has been written about, reviewed by Prabha Gore (Later changed name Anita Herlekar), M.S. Gore and P. Ramachandran, S.N. Ranade and recently by Sanjai  Bhatt etc in the Encyclopedia of Social Work 1966, 2012 and the ICSSR volumes on research. As there was not sufficient research literature on Social Work in India- A survey by S.N. Ranade was included as a paper in the volume on sociology!!

Murali Desai when she was Associate Editor of I.J.S.W. devoted two issues to social work literature. Special mention must be made of her untiring efforts in conceiving and executing the project ‘Review of 50 years of social work Literature'.  Published in the July 1997 issue of I.J.S.W. Her contribution as an entrepreneur of social work literature is unparalleled.

Note: I have relied on memory in writing the above paragraphs on Social Work literature. There may be some inaccuracies, missing details to referred publications.