Materialities of mundane care and the art of holding one's own

Sociology of Health & Illness
Julie Brownlie, Helen Spandler

Abstract

The focus of this special issue is on how everyday or mundane materialities actively mediate health and care practices. This article extends this concern with the mundane to care itself and explores how specific materialities, such as shared spaces and everyday objects, not only mediate mundane care but enable it to happen. Our focus is on mundane help in the context of ill health, between people who are not immediate family, such as neighbours, acquaintances and others with whom we interact in our daily lives. Drawing on recent empirical studies of low-level support in two different parts of the UK, we show how the materialities of care can mediate the affective risks associated with receiving such help. Specifically, we investigate how materialities help people to balance the expression of their vulnerability with a need to retain their dignity, a practice referred to as 'holding one's own'. In doing so, we argue that materialities are not just the conduits for care - what care passes through - or things that mediate care. We suggest instead that materialities are part of how relationships of mundane care are constituted and maintained.

References

May 8, 1998·Social Science & Medicine·A Williams
May 2, 2015·Sociology of Health & Illness·Daryl MartinJulia Twigg
Jun 26, 2015·Sociology of Health & Illness·Annemarie van HoutDick Willems

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 2, 2019·Medical Anthropology·Narelle Warren, Dikaios Sakellariou
Aug 14, 2019·Nursing Inquiry·Meiriele Tavares AraujoMary Ellen Purkis
Oct 28, 2019·Sociology of Health & Illness·Mick McKeownJoy Duxbury
Oct 28, 2019·Sociology of Health & Illness·Robin Bartram
Dec 24, 2019·Disability and Rehabilitation·Javier MonforteVíctor Pérez-Samaniego
Jan 10, 2019·Health Science Reports·Gladys B AsieduManpreet Mundi
Nov 30, 2020·Social Science & Medicine·Christina BuseAlan Lewis
Nov 14, 2020·Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing·Melisa DuqueLisa Spong

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.