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Unit
2
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Lesson 2

Care & Conflict

In prefacing our exploration of care-full scholarship with the above introductory overview of care theory, it is important that the concept of care is not over-romanticised nor the difficulties of practicing it over-looked. Indeed, Tronto is very clear about the fact that an ethics of care can be “fraught with conflict” (1993:109). She explains how this conflict may arise between the different phases of care practice, it may feature where the care needs of the person being cared for results in those of the care giver being neglected, or it may occur due to an individual being faced with conflicting care needs from multiple different individuals. As she later adds: “caring will always create moral dilemmas because the needs for care are infinite” (Tronto 1993: 137)

Thus, becoming response-able, through the practicing of caring with, is not merely about acting upon good intensions whilst adhering to the elements of attentiveness, responsibility, competence and responsiveness as an unproblematic set of criteria. Rather, it requires ongoing reflection and reflexivity towards the individual situation, the institutional and wider societal context, to multiple and conflicting needs and also to how one’s own social positioning and positionality feeds into this mix. In addition, it also requires a series of judgement calls: “judgments about needs, conflicting needs, strategies for achieving ends, the responsiveness of care-receivers, and so forth” (Tronto 1993: 137).

Gaining experience and know-how in all such components, including the various potential conflicts which arise between them, is how the ‘ability’ of response-ability comes to be mastered and embodied. It is also why care-full scholarship requires an ethics of care – including, in the specific case of this MOOC – to be thought of first and foremost as a practice.

QUESTIONS:

  • Can you think of a time when your care-practice was 'fraught with conflict'?
    • Can you identify why that was?
  • Are there any situations you are currently facing that require 'judgement calls' to enable you to become more response-able?
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