Care as concubine: stretching the boundaries of care, politics and power in early childhood education and care

Abstract

The word ‘care’ has been removed from Norway’s most recent framework for early childhood teacher education. According to ECEC practice policy, care is foundational in ECEC and teachers are expected to care, yet caring is not mentioned in the Framework’s description of ECEC, nor is it included as a knowledge or skill goal. Why does care occupy a secondary position to education in ECEC policy development? This article uses Cathrine Malabou’s concept of plasticity and the image of the concubine to stretch conceptions of care in ECEC. Tronto’s care-ethics and the image of a concubine, who bears children for a man, but does not enjoy a legal status in society act as a catalyst for thinking differently about how care is positioned and used politically, domestically and professionally.