Every rose has its thorns: Domesticity and care beyond the dyad in ECEC

Abstract

Care is traditionally researched in ECEC as a dyadic, human phenomenon that relies heavily of tropes of females as care providers. The assumption that care is produced in dyadic relationships occludes material care practices that occur beyond the dyad. Drawing on Bernice Fisher and Joan Tronto’s care ethics and Karen Barad’s focus on the agency of materiality, I have sought to explore how care is produced outside of dyadic relations in ECEC and how that care relates to domestic practices and flourishing in ECEC.

Care in Early Learning and Childcare Transitions

“…In line with the above discussion, several studies which were conducted in Norway commented on the notable removal of the term 'care' from ELC policy following this shift to a more education focussed provision (Aslanian, 2018(Aslanian, , 2020. Similar comments were noted in other countries.…”

Caring in crisis: The experiences of local religious leaders meeting community food needs in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The evident interconnectedness between participants and their personal relations is consistent with the literature on Filipino society and previous research showing the presence of strong bonding social capital (e.g., between family members, friends, neighbors) among Filipinos ( Abad, 2005 ; Eadie and Su, 2018 ; Morais, 1981 ; Turgo, 2016 ). Irrespective of whether bayanihan was an explicit motivating factor for religious leaders, their collective approach furthers a non-dyadic view of care (i.e., as not occurring between two people) ( Aslanian, 2020 ; Tronto, 1993 ) in that religious leaders provided care at the community rather than individual level and did so alongside others.…”

Sustainable Care: Care as a Communal Virtue in Early Childhood Education

“…Joan Tronto theorized care as a collective effort. The studies of Gherardi and Rodeschini (2016), as well as Aslanian (2020), show the many aspects of creating caring institutional environments. The staff collectively possesses caring resources that they should distribute justly among the children.…”

“…Furthermore, Gherardi and Rodeschini's understanding resembles, in some ways, Teresa Aslanian's description of care when she studies care in a wide sense in a Norwegian ECEC setting. However, while Aslanian (2020, p. 328) draws attention to the interplay of material, human, and more than human sides of care, in this study, I focus on human relations. Nevertheless, I concur with Aslanian’s (2020, p. 327) conclusion that care is not confined to dyadic relations but could be seen as everything that enhances human and non-human flourishing.…”

“…Geoff Taggart (2016, p. 174) describes ECEC research and scholarly discourses as dichotomized into competing constructions of childhood. On the one hand, the ideas stemming from John Bowlby's research (1997 [1969]) and subsequent child psychology studies inspire ECEC institutions to form ideals from family relations and home settings (Aslanian, 2020). Mother-like care is one of these ideals.…”