Internationalization and Indigenization of Social Work Curriculum in a Digital Society

數字社會中社會工作課程的國際化與本土化

Organizer: Dr. Johnston H.C. Wong (Professor, Beijing Normal - Hong Kong Baptist University)

黃匡忠博士（北京香港浸會大學教授）

Date, Time, & Location: Sunday, June 7, 2026 | 14:00 – 15:30 | HG03

[Abstract] Social work, as an international profession, always concerns about standardization of professional education, training and field practices. Globalization of economies and industrialization of the developing countries have certainly promoted the trend for internationalization of social work education. On the other hand, the call for preservation of national uniqueness and cultural adaptability, form a counter current as voices for indigenization, or referred by some as decolonization, of social work began to emerge since the turn of the new millennium. While the debate continues the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the advances of AI add uncertainties to the picture. Anthony Giddens has named the COVID-19 Pandemic as Digidemic, pointing out in 2020 that the Pandemic would change the world while the digitization of society will change the Pandemic. Not only digital means are employed to fight the communicable disease, but social workers are also driven to provide social and psychological services online. Social workers in many countries are pushed to the front lines of this prolonged battle to combat with the Pandemic by helping the most vulnerable through connecting resources of offering guidance. How social work educators from different countries in the Asia and Pacific Islands Region are responding to this important but complicated, scientific and political challenge, is the topic of this session.

B5.1 Enhancing inclusive, culturally-sensitive and resilient international bridges in social work: Challenges and solutions

*Alex Altshuler¹2

¹University of Haifa, Israel; 2International Project Committee, IASSW. 

B5.2 Internationalization and Indigenization of Social Work Education in Indonesia: Lessons from a Fragile Democracy

*Adi Farudin¹

¹Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Indonesia.

B5.3 Beyond Indigenization – Navigating Regional Integration and the Re-Professionalization of Hong Kong Social work in the GBA Era

*Charles Leung¹

¹Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong, China.

B5.4 Balancing Global Standards and Local Contexts in Social Work Education in Vietnam

*Lâm Lê Thị¹

¹University of Da Nang, Vietnam.

B5.5 Progressive Development of Social Work Education in China, from Indigenization, Authentication, to International Co-development

*Johnston Wong¹

¹Beijing Normal – Hong Kong Baptist University, China.