Description:
This book marks a serious advancement in the study of Canadian social history, critical analysis of child welfare, and governmentality studies in social work.
Brief description: Xiaobei Chen is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Victoria.
Review Quotes:
'Tending the Gardens of Citizenship clearly advances the narrative of child welfare in Canada. This is a very strong book and the fact that Chen further advances knowledge with the depth and breadth of her research is indicative of its elegance. A distinctive contribution it makes is the rigorous intellectual approach to the technologies of social welfare, and Chen's analysis of the interplay between technique, power, metaphor, and prescriptive practice is brilliant.'
--Ken Moffat, School of Social Work, Ryerson University'Tending the Gardens of Citizenship offers a great deal to the reader. It is accessibly written, rich in historical documentary detail, and enlightening in its use of deconstructive techniques. The issues Chen addresses from a comparative historical perspective are critical to debate today on child welfare in many countries. This is a major contribution to the field.'
--Peter Leonard, School of Social Work, McGill University