Theory and Practice of Social Group Work in Indian Society

This book describes relevant theories, such as task-centered and strength-perspective interventions for the practice of social group work, within contemporary India. These two theories are complemented by additional theories including Gestalt Therapy, Spirituality, and Raja Yoga. These theories fill the gap in the literature to indigenize social group work interventions.
The book is divided into four parts:

• History of Social Group Work and Introduction in India
• The Indian Family
• Structural Properties of Group Work
• Using Case Studies in Social Group Work Education

In addition, there are two separate chapters on leadership-leadership in social work groups and leader interventions relevant to Indian society. At the end of each chapter, a summary and applicable practice principles are presented. It explicitly presents the value of short and task-oriented group work. It mobilizes the group members’ strengths to work through problems that Indian children, parents, working adults, and the elderly experience. The group process is presented with a focus on the present-day Indian cultural context, which is relevant for a range of practitioners in the helping professions. This important book is a valuable resource for students and scholars of social work, community practitioners, voluntary organizations, and social activists.

Pallassana R. Balgopal, Ph.D., is a social work educator, researcher, and practitioner, with sixty-five years of teaching, curriculum development, research, consultation, and practice experience in social work. Since 2000, he has been an Emeritus Professor of Social Work and Asian American Studies at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the University of Illinois faculty in 1978, he taught at Tulane University and the Universities of Michigan, Maryland, and Houston. He held Visiting Professorships at Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamiya, Madras University, Visva Bharati in India, and at the National University of Singapore, Fachhoelschule Bielefeld, Germany, and the Russian State Social Institute, Moscow, Russia.
Suresh Pathare, Ph.D., is a social work educator, researcher and practitioner working in India, with 30 years of experience. He completed his Masters of Social Work from University of Pune, Ph.D. in Social Work from Delhi University, and post-doctoral studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Presently he works as a Director at the Center for Studies in Rural Development-Institute of Social work and Research, Ahmednagar, Savitribai Phule Pune University India. Earlier, he worked as an Associate Professor with Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai, and University of Delhi.
Meena M. Balgopal, Ph.D., is a professor of science pedagogy and communication in the Department of Biology and University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Colorado State University. Her social science research centers on understanding how people understand socio-scientific issues when bridging different worldviews. She examines the outcomes of pedagogical interventions (e.g., group work, reflective writing) using discourse analysis. She is a prolific writer with more than sixty refereed journal articles. Her published work is based on the data generated from support from U.S. National Science Foundation grants. She is a frequent recipient of awards for excellent teaching and mentoring students.