O Serviço Social no município de Parintins/AM: história e memória dos primeiros vinte anos da profissão (1980 a 2000)

Abstract

This research is part of the debate on the history of the Social Work profession in the Brazilian and Amazonian contexts, especially with regard to the qualitative leaps that the profession has made in specific historical periods. In particular, the objective is to reconstruct the history of the profession in the municipality of Parintins, Amazonas State, from 1980 to 2000. The research was initially bibliographical and documentary, followed by a field study. A qualitative approach was used, with specific techniques and instruments for data collection: systematic observation, field diary, semi-structured interviews and phonographic recording. The field research was guided by the Intentional Non-Probability Sampling Technique, so that three Social Workers working in the time interval between 1980 and 2000 were approached. The results indicated that, in the twenty-year period of the profession, only three Social Workers worked in the municipality. Thus, considering the period of training of these professionals, their interventions were guided by a theoretical-methodological perspective of approximation to critical theory, but not yet organic from the point of view of the method, mainly because the curricula in which they were trained started from a technical perspective, focused specifically on practice. In addition, they faced many material, financial and technical-operational challenges to implement and begin the first work in the area. On the other hand, the data indicated the relevance of having these professionals working in the municipality, demarcating the genesis of the profession.