Shame is a powerful emotion in the context of social work. It affects individuals and attacks their subjectivity from within, and yet is also experienced in the here and now as a thoroughly social emotion that enmeshes the individual within society. It is therefore highly potent within the field of social work, both with regard to service users and in social work practice itself. People who become service users often live in social situations in which they are confronted with shame: the emotion can occur by virtue of them being in the social work system, and shame can also be experienced by those recruited to alleviate social problems – the social workers. This book will try to make sense of the complex relationship between the social conditions, norms and expectations that co-produce shame in the context of social work, and will highlight the impact that shame has on those who are affected by it. We hope that our readers, whether academics, researchers, students, practitioners or policymakers, will find this useful.

Despite its importance, the topic of shame has until recently received little attention within the multiple discourses that constitute social work. This book seeks to address this gap by drawing on scholarship from across Europe to examine theory, reflection and practice. Shame is, often literally, an ‘unspeakable’ emotion: this book encourages a broad and open discussion of shame, and how it can be sensitively addressed through social workers’ own reflexivity and in relationshipbased practice with service users. Importantly and uniquely, the book discusses the socio-political roots of shame, challenging the notion that individuals are responsible for their own shame suffering. This volume sets out to highlight the systematic relevance of the emotion ‘shame’ in theoretical terms and at the same time will offer the reader detailed examples of the impact of shame on service users and workers in specific contexts.

Although focusing on experiences in four European countries, there are overarching themes which emerge in the book, emphasising the commonalities of much shame thinking across the continent. As we will discuss in more depth, the book is divided into three parts, each with a specific focus: on shame theory, shame in relation to service users, and shame and social workers.