Professionaliteit en ambachtelijkheid

The past few decades, the social sector in the Netherlands was confronted with a strong tendency towards rationalisation. This ‘rationalisation trend’ appears to be at its end, and is followed by a revival of craftsmanship in the social sector. The consequences of this revival of craftsmanship – which places the human character of social work in the centre of attention – are outlined in the oration of Geert van der Laan, spoken in October 2006 on the occasion of his appointment as professor at the University for Humanistics, Utrecht. This article ‘Professionalism and craftsmanship’ (Professionaliteit en ambachtelijkheid), is a short version of this oration.