Trypillian dialectic spiral

E U G E N I U   R O T A R I

I came to social work out of curiosity. While having a background in psychology I joined a social work related summer school program and just got into it. I ended up doing research in social work while still being a student at the psychology department, and after I got my degree, I came into social work. Right now I’m a student at the MSW Program at ULIM in Moldova, while working with Project Casa Mare for the professionalization, legitimization and education of social workers in Moldova. I am also active as the Executive Secretary of the National Association of Social Workers in Moldova.

I chose Trypillian Dialectic Spiral (as an Eternal Symbol of Conflict and Creative Synthesis) because …

… it represents one of the most important aspects in social work: conflict.

Trypillian culture flourished 6,000 years ago and was located in the area presently known as Moldova and adjacent regions. It was highly sophisticated and it is preserved through a vast legacy of artefacts – Objects – particularly pottery of perfect shape and intricate design. Spiral is the symbol that is ubiquitous on Trypillian pottery. We can only speculate about the meaning of spiral to the ancient Trypilians, but to the modern person, spiral symbolizes (among other things) the dialectic process, the conflictual progression from the status quo thesis through the opposing antithesis to a creative synthesis. Spiral can be seen as the symbol of dialectic social work that upholds the notion that social workers are experts on conflict and constructive transcendence of social and individual troubles to the higher plane of awareness and existence.

The Trypillian culture is becoming a way of achieving an integration of social work with economic development, through a Social Wellness regional project in Moldova. This project will provide sustainable economic and social ways to improve social wellbeing by infusing the project with elements of the Trypillian culture. The common cultural background will be represented by the Trypillian arts, history and traditions; these will become a source for the social and economic development of the community where the regional social enterprise project is based.