In the 1980s, as she struggled with cancer, Audre Lorde asserted that caring for herself was “an act of political warfare.” Since then, self-care has become a popular buzzword in activist circles. The rhetoric of self-care has moved from specific to universal, from defiant to prescriptive. When we talk about self-care today, are we talking about the same thing Lorde was? It’s time to reexamine this concept.
We talk a lot about self care on the blog (can’t stop won’t stop), but it’s important to do so without falling into clichés and platitudes. Self care is incredibly complex, and inextricably linked to politics and society---often in really harmful and insidious ways!
This fantastic zine digs deep into self care, society, and rhetoric. The “mission statement,” so to speak:
Here, we want to challenge monolithic and static understandings of selfhood and caring. Instead, we propose that different kinds of care produce different kinds of self, and that care is one of the battlefields on which social struggles play out.
Totally dense! And totally worth it. Save this one for when the brain fog wanes a bit; we really can’t recommend it enough.
FYI, the PDF appears to be more or less screenreader-friendly!
Self As Other is published and hosted by CrimethInc, a network focused on radical collective action. If that sounds like your jam, be sure to check them out; you won’t be disappointed.
If you liked this zine, see also: Life-Hacks of the Poor and Aimless