Does technological development mean social progress?

The case records of Mary Ellen Richmond, a pioneer of social work, were already internationally recognised and disseminated at the beginning of the 20th century. She established legal and documentary criteria for providing services to the poor, disabled, and needy and contributed to the development of a structured social work profession. 100 years later, documentation in youth welfare offices, both the written planning of help for children and their families and the identification of potential child welfare risks, is supported by software. How have the different writing systems (Discourse networks, Kittler 1990), the increasing and changing formalisation and rationalisation associated with different technologies and practices, influenced writing? Against this background, how has the view of the child and ideas of professionalism changed since mid of the 20th century?
The lecture will analyse youth welfare records from six major cities (1950s to 2020s). It is part of the research project ‘Under Observation’; initial publications are available (cf. e.g. Streblow-Poser 2020, 2024). Using hermeneutic research methods, the intertwining of social and technological change will be analysed. In this way, it is possible to work out how technological development can lead to a change in social decisions.

Kittler, Friedrich (1990): Discourse Networks 1800 / 1900. Stanford.
Streblow-Poser (2020): Jugendamtliche Entscheidungsprozesse vor und nach den Heimkampagnen der 1970-er Jahre. In: Businger, S.; Biebricher, M. (ed.): Von der paternalistischen Fürsorge zu Partizipation und Agency. Zürich, 133-156.