Caring for Liberalism

Caring for Liberalism brings together chapters that explore how liberal political theory, in its many guises, might be modified or transformed to take the fact of dependency on board. In addressing the place of care in liberalism, this collection advances the idea that care ethics can help respond to legitimate criticisms from feminists who argue that liberalism ignores issues of race, class, and ethnicity. The chapters do not simply add care to existing liberal political frameworks; rather, they explore how integrating dependency might leave core components of the traditional liberal philosophical apparatus intact, while transforming other aspects of it. Additionally, the contributors address the design of social and political institutions through which care is given and received, with special attention paid to non-Western care practices. This book will appeal to scholars working on liberalism in philosophy, political science, law, and public policy, and it is a must-read for feminist political philosophers.

Asha Bhandary is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Iowa. She is author of the monograph Freedom to Care: Liberalism, Dependency Care, and Culture (Routledge 2020), the first systematic theory of liberalism to address dependency care, as well as numerous journal articles on care and liberalism. Amy R. Baehr, Professor of Philosophy at Hofstra University, writes on liberalism and feminism. Recent work can be found in Feminist Philosophy Quarterly, The Journal of Applied Philosophy, and Ethics, as well as in John Rawls: Debating the Major Questions (2020) and The Original Position (2016).

Introduction to Caring for Liberalism Asha Bhandary and Amy R. Baehr Part I: Historical Sources 1. On Domination and Dependency: Learning from Rousseau's Critique of Inequality Christie Hartley and Lori Watson 2. Kantian Care Helga Varden 3. Mill's Liberalism, The Subjection of Women, and the Feminist Care Ethic Wendy Donner Part II: Individualism and Autonomy 4. Care Ethics and Liberal Freedom Daniel Engster 5. Individualism, Embeddedness, and Global Women's Empowerment Serene J. Khader Part III: Working With Rawls 6. Interpersonal Reciprocity: An Antiracist Feminist Virtue for Liberal Care Arrangements Asha Bhandary 7. Moral Desert, Rawl's Justice as Fairness, and the Gendered Division of Labor Cynthia A. Stark 8. Political Constructivism and Justice in Caregiving Amy R. Baehr Part IV: Policy and the Design of Institutions 9. Care as Work: The Exploitation of Caring Attitudes and Emotional Labor Elizabeth Brake 10. The Free-Market Family: Liberalism, Families, and Government's Responsibility to Regulate the Market Maxine Eichner 11. Justice and Legitimacy in Caregiver Support: Managing Tradeoffs Between Gender Egalitarian and Economic Egalitarian Social Aims Gina Schouten