Listening to the Welfare State

Michael Seltzer, Oslo University College, Norway, Christian Kullberg, University of Örebro, Sweden. Søren Peter Olesen, National School of Social Work, Aarhus, Denmark. Ilmari Rostila, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Contents: Authentic Conversation and the Construction of Meaning in the Micro landscapes of Interaction in the Welfare State: Images of encounters in social work - with a focus on social interaction, morality and gender, Christian Kullberg and Elisabet Cedersund; Negotiating meanings in and through interactional positions in professional helping work, Arja Jokinen, Kirsi Juhila and Eero Souninen. Talking With and About Children and Parents at the Workplaces of the Welfare State: Involvement, attendance and participation of children in child protection, Hannele Forsberg; The social organization of legitimate risk assessments in child protection: a study of backstage talk and interaction in a local child protection agency in Norway, Ã…se Vagli. Talking About Unemployment, Activation and Career Training in the Welfare State: Discourses of activation at Danish employment offices, Søren Peter Olesen; Counsellors’ responses to students’ troubles-talk in counselling encounters in Finnish careers guidance training, Sanna Vehviläinen. Clients, Identity and Institutional Talk in the Welfare State: The dilemma of two cultures in 12-step treatment: professionals’ responses to clients who act against their best interests, Ilkka Arminen and Amnna Leppo; Who!? identity in institutional contexts, Lars-Christer Hydén; Social work or bureaucracy?, Ilmari Rostila; Afterword: after listening - another picture of the Nordic welfare state and its operations, Søren Peter Olensen.