A contemporary areabased community work

Sweden´s cities are characterized by increasing inequality and marginalization, which has become particularly evident in social work. In recent years, gang-related crime and lethal firearm violence have particularly affected marginalized neighborhoods.

At the time of writing, gang-related violence has intensified, spreading across cities, and resulting in injuries and deaths outside of gang conflicts. The situation in Sweden is described by leading authorities as unsustainable.

Against this background, this collaborative project, involving researchers at Södertörn University and the Multicultural Centre and practitioners at Folkets Husby, Hassela Solidaritet, and Helamalmö, intends to build on the long-standing work of these organizations to offer empowering and awareness-raising processes to people, particularly young people, in socio-economically disadvantaged areas.The project intends to promote, expand, and develop knowledge about what we identify as contemporary area-based community work in the context of civil society.

More specifically, the aim is to carry out a small-scale study that systematically examines experience-based knowledge and enables academia and community workers to develop knowledge and conditions for contemporary area-based community work in socio-economically disadvantaged areas in joint learning processes.The project is thus based on a participatory approach.

It is carried out in the form of a research circle which in turn results in a popular science manual, a research article, and a small exhibition.

The value of the project is to make visible, document, systematize, and critically reflect on the development of contemporary area-based community work and make it part of existing and formal knowledge structures.

In addition to this, the project also contributes to creating a long-term and stable collaboration platform between community workers in socio-economically vulnerable areas and researchers.