The Care Manifesto. The Politics of Interdependence

The Covid-19 pandemic has put in evidence more than ever that we live in an interconnected and interdependent world. It is in this context that the Care Manifesto lays the argument for a politics of interdependence. After all, ‘different decisions made at state level and shaped by distinct national priorities – whether the protection of capitalist wealth or concern with healthcare workers – have affected both the global life of the virus and our own life chances’ (p. 84). The Care Manifesto, a slim volume authored by a collective of academics from a breadth of disciplines, is timely in its call to reconsider our interconnectedness and interdependence, not only to each other but to the wider planet. The book starts with a general discussion on the ongoing carelessness in the world and proposing ‘care-in-practice’ as the solution. This vision entails ‘a world that takes the idea of care as…