Past Caring

Discover the profound exploration of care in New Zealand with this groundbreaking volume, 'Past Caring?'. Edited by esteemed authors Barbara Brookes, Jane McCabe, and Angela Wanhalla, this book takes a critical look at the essential role of care in shaping social relationships and individual well-being. Care is often woven into the fabric of societal institutions, such as families, health systems, and welfare provisions, yet it remains overlooked and undervalued. Through a collection of insightful essays, this work delves into the historical and philosophical dimensions of care, challenging readers to confront key questions surrounding gender, justice, and morality. The narratives included offer a rich tapestry of perspectives, from a M?ori grandmother’s story to the insights of a Rarotongan leader who embodies the concept of duty, revealing the diverse face of care in both personal and broader social contexts. Engaging with personal narratives and influential case studies, the book sheds light on the everyday acts of care that sustain domestic, institutional, and political realms. With a focus on women’s history, this volume paves the way for recognizing and rewarding those unnoticed contributions that uphold our society. Ignite discussion around urgent social questions and reflect on the indispensable nature of caring relationships in contemporary New Zealand. Perfect for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the intersection of care, gender, and societal values.

Authors: Barbara Brookes Ed., Jane McCabe Ed., Angela Wanhalla Ed. Publisher: Otago University Press
Bind: paperback
Dimensions: 150 x 230 mm
Pages: 286
Publication Date: 01-02-2019

Are women past caring? Care is essential to social relationships and individual well-being. It is woven into New Zealand’s key social institutions, such as the family, and is also embedded in societal expectations around state provision of health and welfare. Care is so vital, in fact, that it is often taken for granted and goes unnoticed and unrewarded. Historical and philosophical enquiry have largely ignored the issue of care, yet it raises profound questions about gender, justice and morality. The essays in this volume raise those questions directly - at the level of abstraction where prominent New Zealand women philosophers grappled with the political implications, and on the ground at the level of family relationships. Understanding the history of care requires attention to personal narratives, such as a M?ori grandmother’s story, a Rarotongan leader’s concept of duty to her people, or the sense of service that drove a long-term social worker. Memories of childhood night-time care are carried across the ocean from North East India. The depiction of sole-carer mothers in New Zealand film suggests a ‘caring’ alternative to the celebrated concept of ‘man alone’. The case studies examined focus on the everyday nature of care operating across domestic, institutional and political spaces, and build upon areas of strength in women’s history with its interest in family, motherhood, health, welfare, education and employment. The foundations of Past Caring? lie with Making Women Visible, a national conference on women’s history held at the University of Otago in February 2016. This important volume opens up a set of perspectives and experiences of caring to begin a conversation about urgent questions facing New Zealand society. How do we recognise, reward and do justice to those acts that hold our society together?