The Hegemony Cracked: The Power Guide to Getting Care onto the Development Agenda

Abstract

This paper uses power analysis and the notion of hegemony to enquire into the historical neglect of unpaid care in the international development sector. In the light of that analysis the paper looks at how to exploit the hegemonic contradictions that provide openings for getting care onto development policy agendas. Addressing feminist practitioners and scholaractivists, the paper proposes a strategy of a succession of small wins in naming, framing, claiming and programming care. These can contribute to a change of mindset among citizens, think tanks and policy-makers about the significance of care.