A Caring Society? Care and the Dilemmas of Human Services in the 21st Century

Care is no longer a private concern. In the era of high modernity, characterized by population aging, family fragmentation and the entry of women into the paid workforce, it has become a major public issue. This important text offers a systematic, comparative analysis of the sociology, philosophy and emergent practices of care in the context of the political economy of post-industrial societies.

Michael Fine is Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Deputy Director, Centre for Research on Social Inclusion at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION * The Emergence of Care as a Public Concern * PART TWO: ARGUMENTS ABOUT CARE * The Contest to Define and Claim Care * Who Wants an Ethic of Care? * A Profession of Care * Social Policy Activists on Care * Rights, Responsibilities and a Political Ethics of Care * PART THREE: CARE AND SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY * The Social Context of Change * Care, Social Theory and the Body * The Transformation of Personal and Domestic Life * Risk and Risk Society * The New Organizational Logic * PART FOUR: DEMOGRAPHY AND THE POLITICS OF CARE * Future Care and Its Availability * Aging and the Demography of Care * Work/Family Conflict and the Politics of Child Care * Shaping the Future of Care