Conference—Transformation
Emma Dowling, Karin Schuster, and Anna Kumnig
Ways out of the Care Crisis

Care work is a central part of every society. The dynamics of capitalism have resulted in this work being subject to the logic of profit, under which everyone suffers in the end—both the people being cared for and the people, primarily women, who are underpaid or perhaps not paid at all to provide this care. In recent years, feminist theorists have not only made the exploitation that takes place in this sector a topic of discussion, but also the way in which care work “holds our society together.” In doing so, they have asked whether other forms of care (care communities) might not serve as models for a different form of societal organization. Here, however, it is necessary to incorporate the struggles and discussions over paid and unpaid care work in order that we can together ensure the availability of sustainable and need-oriented care for all of us.  


Bio
Along with many other subjects, Emma Dowling studies feminist political economy, social movements, civil society organization, and financialization and society. She is an assistant professor for the sociology of social change at the Institute for Sociology at the University of Vienna. One of her best-known publications is The Care Crisis: What Caused It and How Can We End It? (2021).

Karin Schuster works as a certified health care professional and registered nurse. She completed a media training course at the University of Graz and works as a radio journalist. Her sociopolitical activities include work with Attac and Mehr für Care! She currently heads the Pflegestützpunkt 2.0 (Care Support Center 2.0), an initiative of Radio Helsinki that focuses on the subject of care work in our society. Its slogan is “Wie wir pflegen und pflegen wollen” (“How we care and how we want to care”).

Anna Kumnig studied educational science in Graz and subsequently worked in the disability field. She later worked as a leisure-time educator in Vienna, where she was represented on the strike committee in 2020. Today she is an educational social worker and works for the Department of Child and Youth Welfare in educational social residential communities.

10.10., 14:00

Talk, discussion, and livestream

In English

Free admission