Allegories of time in the centenary of chilean social work

Abstract

On May 4, 2025, the first specialized unit of Social Work in Chile and Latin America will be founded, this enables the passage of time to be placed in the central position of the commemoration. The tradition of ancient Greece recognizes three mythological figures that symbolize time and correspond to the chronological and sequential time of Kronos; the circular time, inspired by the cyclic passage of nature of Aion; and the time of opportunity and inspiration of Kairos. In this context, the objective of this article is to reflect on the centenary commemoration of chilean Social Work from the allegories of time expressed in Kronos, Kairos and Aion, taking as reference the main events recorded in the specialized professional bibliography. Thus, in the one hundred years of social work in Chile and Latin America, there is a converging temporal sequence of Kronos, drawn from the relevant events that mark the professional calendars; the experiential time of Kairos, which symbolizes the decisions in contingency that have strengthened specialized knowledge and social practice; and the time of Aion, which represents a distinctive and immanent disciplinary and professional knowledge. These allegories symbolize conceptions and experiences of a century-old time, which flows between permanence and change, linked to the vocation and commitment of Social Work with a social world in permanent transformation.