Introducing the Contexts of a Moral and Political Theory of Care

Abstract

This chapter introduces the historical and conceptual contexts of a moral and political theory of care. One of the main stories about care ethics is that it began in moral psychology with Carol Gilligan 1982, then it slowly made its way into the realm of theorising about the social and political and engaged in debates in political theory only in the 1990s. This chapter offers a different story about care ethics by demonstrating that the social and political dimension of care was a focus of care ethics from the outset and received an explicit attention of care ethicists as early as about the mid-1980s. The chapter advocates moving beyond the schematism of the distinction of care ethics’ two generations and rethinking the complex development of care ethics with a special focus on the prominent role of a political concept of care. Finally, the chapter discusses the recent developments in a political theory of care and highlights its aspects that are most relevant to contemporary political and societal issues, such as the rise of neo-populist politics and the destructive effects of global neoliberalism.