Beyond indigenization and reconceptualtation - Towards a global, multidirectional model of technology transfer

Throughout the 20th century, global social work education has been transformed by two key processes: indigenization and reconceptualization or authentization. In much of the developing world, such influences have greatly affected the formation of both social work education and practice as systematic responses to local social and economic development problems. Social work in developed countries has also been shaped to some extent by similar phases (Bernard, 1995; Midgley, 1981). This article presents an overview of the indigenization and authentization of social work education in developing countries. Existing frameworks describing the progression of social work education are reviewed, mainly from Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, whence the principal models of social work exchange have emanated. Finally, an alternative model is presented, which conceptualizes the multidirectional exchange of information and technology between and among developed and developing countries. The proposed model builds on frameworks by Cox (1997), Ragab (1995), Resnick (1995), and Mayadas and Elliott (1997), and responds to criticisms that developing countries' historical dependence on western social work has rendered social work education inappropriate to address the demands of social work practice in the host countries (Billups and JuliA, 1991; Midgley, 1981).