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Social work in the Netherlands is attracting an increasing number of Turkish and Moroccan Dutch professionals, mostly second-generation migrant women from a Muslim background. Inspired by Amartya Sen’s capability approach, this article presents the findings of a qualitative content analysis of 40 interviews with professionals by peers from the same background. The question is, what kind of professionals do these newly started social workers desire to be and what hindrances do they encounter? The professionals challenge the dominance of Western beliefs and values. This becomes tangible in their desires and constraints and especially in the process of choice.

This article examines the challenges that superdiversity and complexity pose for social workers. Taking an ethnographic approach, we focus on the ‘knowledge-in-action’ of social workers in a small service organization in Belgium in order to access their experiences of being professionals in superdiverse contexts. The reflections of the social workers reveal the prominence of three inter-related issues: the social vulnerability of clients, the tensions that arise in coping with differences between personal and professional frameworks and identities, and the discontinuity that challenges the professional self-confidence of social workers. The findings raise important questions for the professional identity of social work.

English This article argues that modern citizenship is a highly fruitful concept for social work. Citizenship-based social work is defined as a field of action, knowledge and research, aiming at integration of all citizens and supporting and encouraging self responsibility, social responsibility and the implementation of social rights. French Cet article soutient que la citoyenneté moderne est un concept éminemment porteur pour le travail social. Le travail social fondé sur la citoyenneté se définit comme un champ d’action, de connaissance et de recherche visant l’intégration de tous les citoyens et faisant la promotion de la responsabilité personnelle, de la responsabilité sociale et de la promotion des droits sociaux. Spanish Este artículo argumenta que la ciudadanía moderna es un concepto altamente provechoso para el trabajo social. El trabajo social basado en la ciudadanía es definido como un campo de acción, conocimiento e investigación, apuntando a la integración de todos los ciudadanos, que apoya y alienta la responsabilidad propia, la responsabilidad social y la implementación de derechos sociales.