Affective spaces, humour and power in 24-hour care institutions for young people in vulnerable positions

Bibliographic Data

ID21724272
AuthorsMichael Christensen (0000-0002-7164-524X, Welfare, Marginalization and Change in Social Work, University College Absalon, Roskilde, Denmark, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume19
Issue3
Pages501-514
Publication date2020-05-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Social Work (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1473-3250 • E-ISSN: 1741-3117
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1473325020911701
OpenAlexW2997881995
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited34

This article examines humour and its connectedness to spatiality in social work by drawing on examples from fieldwork involving vulnerable young people. The article argues that the relationship between a spatial perspective and humour as a phenomenon in social work is an underdeveloped area of social work research. The article draws on De Certeau’s concepts of tactical behaviour and strategically defined spaces, both of which involve a dynamic spatial approach. Connecting these concepts to humour, the article concludes that applying a humour-affective spatial theoretical approach to social work research greatly aids the identification of power dynamics and the tensions that can arise in social situations. In short, the article offers another way of conceptualising the production of the spatial dynamics of power, inclusion and exclusion. The empirical basis for the article is a comprehensive field study carried out at a 24-hour residential institution for children and youth in vulnerable positions

Sociology · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Humor Studies and Applications · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice

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