ABSTRACT

Globalization is ‘a multi-faceted process in which economic and social, political, cultural and other forces combine in complex ways’. Understanding the characteristics and potency of pivotal social and cultural regimes and programs in Southeast and East Asia includes how the role of the state is viewed in relation to social expenditure, the presence of civil society and the part played by identity politics. Social work programs may have been first established under one kind of economic/political regime but have transitioned gradually or very suddenly into a very different form, consequent for example on political shifts, demographic changes or inward/outward migration. The premise that the principles and foundations of social work education in countries where it has been established for a century or more are established and consensual is somewhat wide of the mark. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.