Reflections from the Guest Editors: Unraveling Care and Control: The Limits of Professional Helping Within Conditions of Belonging

Authors

Keywords:

benevolence, oppression, belonging, marginalization

Abstract

This Special Issue of Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping delves into the complex interplay between professional helping and nation-state belonging, critically examining how these constructs intersect with power, privilege, and oppression. This collection unravels the conditions of “professional helping”—encompassing fields like social work, healthcare, and education—which often operates within a framework of care that subtly reinforces existing power structures rather than truly empowering marginalized communities.

Author Biographies

Ahn Ngo, Wilfrid Laurier University

Anh Ngo, PhD is Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada (ango@wlu.ca).

Maryam Khan, Wilfrid Laurier University

Maryam Khan, PhD is Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada (mkhan@wlu.ca).

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Published

2025-04-19

How to Cite

Ngo, A., & Khan, M. (2025). Reflections from the Guest Editors: Unraveling Care and Control: The Limits of Professional Helping Within Conditions of Belonging. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 31(1), 5–8. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/2265