Lecture
Wednesday, 27 March 2024, at 7 p.m.
Galerija Filodrammatica, Korzo 28/1, Rijeka
ADMISSION IS FREE
British sociologist and political scientist Emma Dowling will give a lecture titled Care Beyond Crisis: From Privatisation to Solidarity in the framework of our Refleks program. The lecture will take place at the Filodrammatica Gallery (Korzo 28/1, Rijeka) on Wednesday, March 27th, at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
All too often the problems we face as a society are couched in terms of the needs of ‘the economy’, with all else appearing as secondary. However, were we to change our view and look at the economy from the perspective of care, our debates about the problems we face and the solutions to them would change.
Front cover of the book The Care Crisis
Everyone needs care at some point in life, whether it is social care, healthcare, childcare or eldercare. In the shadow of coronavirus, care became one of the most urgent topics of our times. Yet, everywhere care systems continue to be in crisis. Despite the growing demand for care, public services are cut, while care systems are pushed even further towards the market. Invariably, those most in need of care are left to fend for themselves with those who provide care – whether paid or unpaid – are doing so under immensely difficult conditions.
In her talk, Emma Dowling will chart the multifaceted nature of the current care crisis, its structural causes, dynamics and consequences, raising the unavoidable question: how do we end the care crisis?
EMMA DOWLING
Emma Dowling is a sociologist and political scientist currently teaching at the University of Vienna, prior to which she held academic positions in the UK and Germany. Her research focuses on the transnational dynamics of crisis and change in welfare, health and social care systems, and she has a long-standing interest in how emotions are put to work in contemporary capitalism. She is the award-winning author of «The Care Crisis - What Caused It and How Can We End It?» (Verso, 2021) and a founding member of the Vienna-based Competence Centre for Infrastructure Economics, Public Services and Social Provisioning.
