Hello all,

I realize that I have completely ghosted you. I have sat down several times to write and just couldn’t focus on words. I have been preoccupied with creating a reading list for my PhD. and it has been all consuming. The good news is I feel so much more focused knowing what I need to read to prepare for my exam in late fall. My research topic at the moment is why do women really choose to leave corporate life.

Re-imagining the world

I am imagining what the world would look like if we placed a feminist ethics of care in the centre of all that we do. In particular, I am interested in how care can transform places, in particular workplaces.

What is a feminist ethics of care?

It is a way of being in the world, an orientation from which to live our lives. An ethics of care emerges from a recognition that we are part of a complex, interconnected web of relationships. It recognizes that we co-create ourselves and our world. We are dependent on the unseen, unrecognized, unappreciated care (as well as the seen and recognized) that is provided by humans, other than humans and the planet itself. We are all in relationship and in those relationships we become together, we evolve as everything else evolves. Care ethics are not a set of rules but are value based. They place relationships and interconnectedness first.

Deep listening

Care ethics are rooted in love and compassion. It is an embodied experience of reciprocity and support. The give and take of care require attentiveness, deep listening and a reflective response. Deep listening goes beyond just listening with your ears. It is listening to your whole body. It is listening for the unsaid, the felt,  the rhythms of the world around you. It is listening for the messages in the wind and responding as you are moved to do.

Responsibility and care

Care and responsibility are dancing partners. The responsibility is for the collective, the co-creation of yourself, your family, your community and the planet as a whole. It is the responsibility to understand that care is situational. Our need for care and our ability to care changes as we become with all that is around us.

We are all in relationships of care

There is no doubt that if we are on this planet we are in a network of caring relationships. Plants care for our breath. Farmers care for our food. Mothers care for their children. Ethics of care is about affirmative collaboration.

The value of care

We often take for granted the value of care. In our Western worldview care and care work (because care is work) is devalued. Care is usually gendered female and can remain unseen and unrecognized.

Care requires you to slow down and notice.

I invite you to reflect:

1. What networks of care support you?
2. How centred is care in your life?
3. Where are you receiving unrecognized, unseen, unappreciated care?
4. How are you caring for yourself so you can continue to give care?
5. Where do you need more care in your life?
6. What steps could you take to create more care in the world?

Alison

I have read much on care. Two of my favourites are:

Bawaka Country, B., Wright, S., Suchet-Pearson, S,, Lloyd, K., Burarrwanga, L., Ganambarr, R., Ganambarr-Stubbs, M., Ganambarr, B., Maymuru, D., and Sweeney, J. (2016). Co-becoming Bawaka: Towards a relational understanding of place/space. Progress in Human Geography,40(4), 455-475.

A book by Carol Gilligan called. Joining the Resistance.