Care + Struggle

1. Read for March 2
These readings will give us some theory on why caring labor is important:

a. On Elder Care Work and the Limits of Marxism, by Silvia Federici in Revolution at Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction and Feminist Struggle, PM Press 2012.

See also Domestic Workers United, a campaign cited in Federici's article, and "Spain's Jobless Rely on Elders, a Frail Crutch," (New York Times, July 29, 2012), as just one example of how elders have become providers in the austerity paradigm.

b. Caring: A Labor of Stolen Time, Pages From a CNA's Notebook, by Jomo in LIES, A Journal of Materialist Feminism, 2012.
See also Work Dreams, a very short post by Scott Nappalos, a comrade from Miami Autonomy + Solidarity, about the problems of working in a hospital and how conditions seep into his dreams.




2. Read for March 16 (as many as you wish)
Readings on historical and current examples of health care as a site of struggle:

a. Class and Health: Community Acupuncture, by Paul Messersmith-Glavin, in Perspectives on Anarchist Theory: V.14: 1, Fall 2012, issue "Care."
Follow up references to Panther clinics and Panther research in China; oppressive leadership/IWW campaigning around some CACs...Apparently, Portland Wobs campaigned against unfair labor practices at Working Class Acupuncture there, anyone know anything about it?

b. The People’s Free Medical Clinics, by Alondra Nelson, in Body and Soul: the Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination, University of Minnesota Press, 2011. OR TBA!
See also Black Panther Community Programs and Body and Soul: the Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination, by Alondra Nelson, U Minnesota Press, 2011; (read an interview with her here).

c. Kindred: Southern Healing Justice Collective(website with PDFs of content).

d. Intro (2-3 zine pages) of Jane: Documents From Chicago’s Clandestine Abortion Service, 1968-1973, by Firestarter Press Collective, Firestarter Press, 2004.

e. To Care Is To Struggle, by Kevin Van Meter, in Perspectives on Anarchist Theory: V.14: 1, Fall 2012, issue "Care."
See also "Are Communities of Care a Possible Site of Struggle?", a short post by Gayge Operista, a comrade and nursing student, and Introduction to the Perspectives special issue on "Care".

Further Reading on Struggle, Alternatives and De-professionalized Care

Alternatives

Alternatives to Emergency Medical Services (EMS), by the Rosehip Medic Collective, in Perspectives on Anarchist Theory: V.14: 1, Fall 2012, issue "Care."

Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination, by Alondra Nelson, University of Minnesota Press, 2011.

Mental Health

Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology, by Robert V. Gutherie, Pearson, 2003.

Icarus Project

Peer Support and Mental Health, by Julia Smedley in Perspectives on Anarchist Theory: V.14: 1, Fall 2012, issue "Care."

Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease, by Johnathan Metzl, Beacon Press, 2011.

Reproductive Labor

Arcane of Reproduction, by Leopoldina Fortunati, Autonomedia: 1995.

Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation, by Silvia Federici, Autonomedia: 2004.

“Capitalism and Reproduction,” by Mariarosa Della Costa, libcom.org.

Revolution from Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction and Feminist Struggle, by Silvia Federici, PM Press: 2012.

“Women in Uprising: the Oaxaca Commune, the State and Reproductive Labor,” by Barucha Calamity Peller in LIES: a Journal of Materialist Feminism 1: 2012.

Struggles of Access and Care

Black Panther Ten-Point Plan

Coercive Wellness Programs Create New Headaches, and What To Do When Your Boss Catches Wellness Fever, by Jane Slaughter in Labor Notes.

Disabilities Studies Reader, by Lennard J. Davis, Routledge 2010.

Women's Health

Jane: Documents From Chicago’s Clandestine Abortion Service, 1968-1973, by Firestarter Press Collective, Firestarter Press, 2004.

Our Bodies, Ourselves: a Book by and for Women, by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, Inc.: 1973.

Story of Jane: the Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service, by Laura Kaplan, Pantheon: 1995.

Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organize for Reproductive Justice, by Stilliman et al, South End Press: 2004.

Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers, by Barbara Ehrenreich and Dierdre English, The Feminist Press: 2010.

Committee on Women, Population, and the Environment (www.cwpe.org). Radical intersectional feminist research and activism centering on opposition to population control, including story-collecting campaigns on dangerous contraceptives.

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