I’ve been interested in the term “ethics of care” for quite some time. In an activist sense, I’ve been interested in how movements center radical care (versus individualized, capitalist notions of care) in their organizing work and across communities, especially in the dire times we live in. I have wondered if and when activists think of care, how do they shape their definitions of it and how does it fit into an ethos of making the world anew?

Academically, the term “ethics of care” show up across fields and disciplines. In psychology, Carol Gilligan’s canonical conceptualization of the aforementioned phrase insisted that girls and women’s morality could be characterized with their connectedness. In political science, Joan Tronto expanded this notion by introducing the idea of a “responsibilty-based” ethics, not just about caring but including justice. And yet, I’ve wondered, what about cultural differences on how we interpret and take on care? What’s the role of race and ethnicity in an ethics of care? How about for those who immigrate from one cultural context to another?

Inspired by these questions, I’ll be in conversation with heavy weights in this field for the University of Wisconsin, Madison Ethics of Care Conference, Joan Tronto and Nancy Fraser. I’ll try my best to put a theoretical hat on but more importantly, bring my decade-long experience in organizing with Filipina/o migrant care workers, in the US and learning from their transnational solidarities.

The good news is the conference is FREE! Register here!