Self-Care

In times of crisis, we hear again and again that we should practice self-care. But what is this practice? When is self-care a radically ethical and political act, and when is it a distraction from ethical, political, and social problems? Can certain forms of self-care pressure people to conform to problematic norms? This seminar asks how to distinguish self-care from selfishness and self-domination. We will examine historical practices focused on the individual and her relation to herself, such as exercise, work, truth-telling, activism, and love, exploring material from the past to think critically about the present.