ABSTRACT

Similar to discussions in social work education classrooms facilitated by Intergroup Dialogue (IGD), the Human Library (HL) is an opportunity for students to engage in personal one-on-one dialogue about prejudice, discrimination, and oppression. To date, no study has been conducted of the use of the HL in social work education. A qualitative case study approach exploring the perceptions of 11 participants in an HL event hosted by one midwestern university explored two research questions: How do those in the role of enlisted participants (Books) describe the HL experience? and What potential does the HL have to create IGD in the social work classroom? Data analysis revealed the following unique themes: (a) arriving with the baggage of the narrative, (b) intention to educate and raise awareness, (c) surprise at the undeserved respect they received from readers, (d) perception of a shift from monologue to dialogue, and (e) recognition of expanding the narrative that fueled positive self-perceptions. Freire’s critical theory was applied to the findings, identifying the benefits of its use in social work education compared to more traditional IGD offerings.

摘要

与组间对话 (IGD) 促进的社会工作教育课堂讨论类似，人类图书馆 (HL) 是学生就偏见、歧视和压迫进行个人一对一对话的机会。迄今为止，还没有关于在社会工作教育中使用 HL 的研究。一种定性案例研究方法探索 11 名参与者在中西部一所大学举办的 HL 活动中的看法，探讨了两个研究问题：那些扮演入伍参与者（书籍）角色的人如何描述 HL 体验？HL 在社会工作课堂上创造 IGD 有什么潜力？数据分析揭示了以下独特的主题：（a）带着叙事的包袱到达，（b）教育和提高意识的意图，(c) 对他们从读者那里得到的不应有的尊重感到惊讶，(d) 对从独白到对话的转变的看法，以及 (e) 认识到扩大叙事会激发积极的自我认知。Freire 的批判理论被应用于研究结果，确定了与更传统的 IGD 产品相比，将其用于社会工作教育的好处。