Welfare's Forgotten Past

A Socio-Legal History of the Poor Law

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Philanthropy & Charity, Reference & Language, Law, Legal History
Cover of the book Welfare's Forgotten Past by Lorie Charlesworth, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lorie Charlesworth ISBN: 9781135179632
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: December 16, 2009
Imprint: Routledge-Cavendish Language: English
Author: Lorie Charlesworth
ISBN: 9781135179632
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: December 16, 2009
Imprint: Routledge-Cavendish
Language: English

That ‘poor law was law’ is a fact that has slipped from the consciousness of historians of welfare in England and Wales, and in North America. Welfare's Forgotten Past remedies this situation by tracing the history of the legal right of the settled poor to relief when destitute. Poor law was not simply local custom, but consisted of legal rights, duties and obligations that went beyond social altruism. This legal ‘truth’ is, however, still ignored or rejected by some historians, and thus ‘lost’ to social welfare policy-makers. This forgetting or minimising of a legal, enforceable right to relief has not only led to a misunderstanding of welfare’s past; it has also contributed to the stigmatisation of poverty, and the emergence and persistence of the idea that its relief is a 'gift' from the state.

Documenting the history and the effects of this forgetting, whilst also providing a ‘legal’ history of welfare, Lorie Charlesworth argues that it is timely for social policy-makers and reformists – in Britain, the United States and elsewhere – to reconsider an alternative welfare model, based on the more positive, legal aspects of welfare’s 400-year legal history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

That ‘poor law was law’ is a fact that has slipped from the consciousness of historians of welfare in England and Wales, and in North America. Welfare's Forgotten Past remedies this situation by tracing the history of the legal right of the settled poor to relief when destitute. Poor law was not simply local custom, but consisted of legal rights, duties and obligations that went beyond social altruism. This legal ‘truth’ is, however, still ignored or rejected by some historians, and thus ‘lost’ to social welfare policy-makers. This forgetting or minimising of a legal, enforceable right to relief has not only led to a misunderstanding of welfare’s past; it has also contributed to the stigmatisation of poverty, and the emergence and persistence of the idea that its relief is a 'gift' from the state.

Documenting the history and the effects of this forgetting, whilst also providing a ‘legal’ history of welfare, Lorie Charlesworth argues that it is timely for social policy-makers and reformists – in Britain, the United States and elsewhere – to reconsider an alternative welfare model, based on the more positive, legal aspects of welfare’s 400-year legal history.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Wedding Planning and Management by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Keeping Families Together by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Travel Narratives, the New Science, and Literary Discourse, 1569-1750 by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book The Resonance of Emptiness by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Presidential Leadership and African Americans by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book The Recorder by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book The Awkward Embrace by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Aviation and Climate Change by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Religion as Empowerment by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Integrating Individual And Family Therapy by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Child Psychology by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Audit Cultures by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Financing Higher Education by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book International Migration and Citizenship Today by Lorie Charlesworth
Cover of the book Climate Change, Assets and Food Security in Southern African Cities by Lorie Charlesworth
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy