The 2011 antipode aag lecture whose responsibility is it? Obligation, citizenship and social welfare

Abstract

This article explores the ways that responsibility for social welfare and wellbeing is framed by service providers, activists and the state in two moments of welfare restructuring in the United States. Many service providers and activists rework notions of obligation and responsibility to challenge the state to meet its obligations to its citizens. They enact an oppositional politics of obligation and care that is rooted in normative values rooted in family and faith. The article concludes with a consideration of the potential for an oppositional politics of obligation. © 2012 The Author. Antipode© 2012 Antipode Foundation Ltd.