Editorial: Towards an Ecology of Care

COXON & BREMNER EDITORIAL Ed ito rial: To w a rd s a n Eco lo gy o f Care Ian Robert Coxon 1 and Craig Bremner 2 Ove rvie w The Ecology of Care (EoC) as a field of research and practice originated in the Faculty of Engineerin g at the University of Southern Den m ark. It was designed to research an d prom ote the concept of Care (the prioritising of Hum an needs). Care is essentially about tackling societal challenges from a hum an and ecological point of view, som ething of a reversed perspective on the current paradigm driven by liberal Capital. We see this as an extraordinary opportunity for real and useful innovation on a global scale. An Ecology of Care exam ines the fundam en tal reasons why and how we do what we used to do naturally in an increasingly unnatural world. In this artificial condition the Ecology of Care provides m any new opportunities before the future is foreclosed. We have structured the project An Ecology of Care as a lens through which to investigate the way in which Care occurs in relationship to everyone and everything (not just health care). We have taken this perspective on the basis that Care describes and shapes relationships because we know we all Care and we do that through shared gestures of care and caring. We asked the people we invited to speak at the Congress to look closely at the gesture (or expression of intention) called Care. We are also aware that delving into Care m ight point to core problems in our relationships because it is quite obvious we seem incapable of devoting adequate resources to care about the project for a better world, our one world. Which is baffling because we have no choice but to Care for it and to Care for ourselves and each other in the oikos of ecology … our hom e on the one planet we share. The belief that our shared future is getting better and is being m ade better by good people who are doin g good things is now very ten uous. Regardless of our intentions or gestures, in an increasin gly artificial world it is n ow very difficult to im agine applyin g Care on the scale of the better world. Therefore, we tend to think that an Ecology of Care is really about fostering a different relationship with the artificial world. It is about taking a special interest in the role of ideas in the production of this artificiality. Or just as people doing good things seem to be m otivated by taking Care of what-m ightbecom e, an Ecology of Care entails that we take Care of what-m ight-not-becom e.  Adjunct Associate Professor Ian Coxon: [email protected] 1 Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University, Australia and Ecology of Care Network (Community Interest Company – UK) 2 Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University, Australia fusion | www.fusion-journal.com | Issue 12 (2017) ISSN 2201-7208 | Published under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) 1 COXON & BREMNER EDITORIAL Backgro u n d to an Eco lo gy o f Care In 20 12, a sm all research group within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Southern Denm ark was involved in Denm ark’s largest Health Research project called Patient@Hom e; the application of new technological solutions to healthcare. Opportunities were rife for product developers but the project had skewed towards “welfare of technology” rather than “technologies of welfare”. In 20 13 it was noticed that Care was m issing and the group went looking for it. With enough evidence the newly form ed research group held their first international Ecology of Care event in February 20 15 to explore the form ulations of Care that were em erging. Twenty people from 7 nations and 14 disciplines cam e to Copenhagen to discuss various proposals. This gathering determ ined that first, the Model of Care developed so far, was useful as a way of explaining the concept to others. Second, that an Ecology of Care could be considered a new field of study and practice. An d third, that an Ecology of Care was worthy of further developm ent in two directions: as a theoretical fram ework and in term s of instrum ental application (form s of practice). Th e Eco lo gy o f Care p ro je ct to d ay After the 20 15 sym posium the Danish research group im m ediately started work on an international congress called (In)form ing an Ecology of Care. They realised very quickly that they were ham pered by two m isunderstood notions of the two key concepts: that ecology was a “green thing” (when in fact it is derived from the Greek oikos for hom e), and that Care is m ore or less owned by the health industry. It can easily be seen from what has been accom plished so far that Care is a concept with a very sound philosophical basis but without a clear and strong comm unicable form . Thus, the Congress, (In)form ing an Ecology of Care, was largely about giving Care a m ore substantial form . To be clear: what an Ecology of Care is therefore about is findin g practical, applicable and hum anly m eaningful ways to explore and understand how we give and receive care; and to interpr et this into and m erge it with an increasingly artificial world, and by doing so establish patterns of behaviour that give agency to the role of stewardship for future generations. In Septem ber 20 17 the Copenhagen Congress was followed by a series of workshops at Lancaster University that set out to explore Care from the point of view of design. Titled Does Design Care…? participants explored 10 problem s with the gesture of care. Their findin gs will take the form of the Lancaster Care Charter that will be published in 20 18. In th is is s u e This special issue stem s from the Ecology of Care Congress in 20 16 where very different professional fields were brought together to share how they see care operating within their disciplin es (or how in their fields care is disciplined). This issue of fusion presents five very diverse ways of observing care. Other presentations at the EoC Congress probed care (and carelessness) from diverse positions and m any of these will be fusion | www.fusion-journal.com | Issue 12 (2017) ISSN 2201-7208 | Published under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) 2 COXON & BREMNER EDITORIAL followed up in subsequent dissem inations; they in clude perspectives from health, peace and conflict studies, global sustainability, social econom ics and design. In this issue we are very happy to be hosting contributions from a broad spectrum of presenters from the Congress, that offer unique perspectives on Care. - Ian Coxon’s paper sets up a backstory to the Field of Care. He explains the origins of the concept of Care and the origins of th e project, An Ecology of Care. Weaving together the philosophical background to Care and the m any theoretical perspectives that have been proposed about Care, he describes a m odel of Care and a set of criteria for what an Ecology of Care is all about. - Anders Sørensen’s paper takes the idea of Care and applies it to em ergin g technologies in the field of robotics. Though a series of short case studies he exposes som e of the flaws in the logic of these robot developm ent projects and argues that ‘self-reliance’ is a core com ponent that is m issing in m any developm ents. - Harriett Balkind writes about the paradoxical world of advertising, political m anipulation of trust, and a form of Care that lies within truth, asking why not just lie? - Ian Hargraves considers the doing of modern healthcare through the lens of the Myth of Care showcasing its relevance to designing new and m ore enablin g ways to Do design within the m any fields of health. - And Allan Barton presents his personal pathway to care as a “J ourney of Discovery”. Using his own experiences as a case study for how care and caring shape behaviour he discusses the role that Care (self-others-world) takes in shaping the paths we choose and the decisions we m ake in our work life and hom e life. We hope you enjoy reading these diverse perspectives on Care and we welcom e your feedback, suggestions and com m ents. fusion | www.fusion-journal.com | Issue 12 (2017) ISSN 2201-7208 | Published under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) 3