Seeing the Other

Abstract

The article explores how a work of fiction can contribute to a social work reflection on the helping process and the challenging task of seeing the Other. The article has an interdisciplinary purpose and aims at creating a dialogue between social work discourse and the language of fiction. An argument is made that narratives, language and ethics are intertwined and to some extend transcends boundaries between literature and social work discourse. The fiction of choice is Tale of troubled times (original title Tung tids tale) by the Norwegian author Olaug Nilssen. Selected passages from the novel are analyzed through different theoretical lenses, highlighting the importance of narrative framing for social work ethics. Finally, the concept of institutional identities is suggested as the most fruitful approach, giving the professional conduct in the novel an institutional origin.