Gender, Care and Everyday Life

How do we care for ourselves, others and our environment? What are the dynamics of gender, race, sexuality, class, ability, and citizenship in relation to care? What are the limitations and failures of care, and how might they relate to normative understandings of embodiment and relationality? This subject offers an in-depth study of feminist, queer, and trans theories and practices of care. We will explore the intersections between mental health, well-being, and spirituality to consider how concepts of care and caring relationships have changed over time, with a focus on contemporary movements toward decolonisation of care. We will look at different sites, forms and representations of care through a range of case studies, including yoga, meditation, dance, somatic experiencing, and esotericism among others.

• 1Discuss the ways in which care is historically, culturally, and geographically contingent and discursively constructed
• 2Articulate the theoretical underpinnings of key foundational texts in feminist, queer, and trans care studies
• 3Apply theoretical knowledge about care to a range of case studies
• 4Formulate research questions and conduct independent research about care practices in a range of contexts.