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Hybrid activist collectives: reframing mothers’ environmental and caring labour

Hybrid activist collectives: reframing mothers’ environmental and caring labour PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use a case study of an online parenting forum to theorise how mothers’ everyday environmental and caring labour is a form of environmental and social activism in the home, that while not organised as such, is still collectivised in a “hybrid activist collective”.Design/methodology/approachUsing ethnographic data and content analysis from an online parenting forum for the nappy-free infant hygiene practice known as “elimination communication”, the author compares the matters of key concern arising for this group of mothers with economic activist concerns as identified by Gibson-Graham et al. (2013) in their community economies work.FindingsThe paper finds a high degree of resonance between the key concerns of the elimination communication forum members with the key concerns of community economies. Furthermore, the author identifies the components of what might comprise a “hybrid activist collective” of mothers and others undertaking direct action for environmental and social change.Social implicationsMothers and others acting for social and environmental change through domestic practices should be recognised for their important environmental and caring labour.Originality/valueThe paper proposes the “hybrid activist collective” as a way of understanding the human and non-human elements that gather together to act for environmental and social change in a collectivised, but not formally organised manner. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png international Journal of Sociology and Social Policy Emerald Publishing

Hybrid activist collectives: reframing mothers’ environmental and caring labour

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0144-333X
DOI
10.1108/IJSSP-12-2015-0150
Publisher site
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Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use a case study of an online parenting forum to theorise how mothers’ everyday environmental and caring labour is a form of environmental and social activism in the home, that while not organised as such, is still collectivised in a “hybrid activist collective”.Design/methodology/approachUsing ethnographic data and content analysis from an online parenting forum for the nappy-free infant hygiene practice known as “elimination communication”, the author compares the matters of key concern arising for this group of mothers with economic activist concerns as identified by Gibson-Graham et al. (2013) in their community economies work.FindingsThe paper finds a high degree of resonance between the key concerns of the elimination communication forum members with the key concerns of community economies. Furthermore, the author identifies the components of what might comprise a “hybrid activist collective” of mothers and others undertaking direct action for environmental and social change.Social implicationsMothers and others acting for social and environmental change through domestic practices should be recognised for their important environmental and caring labour.Originality/valueThe paper proposes the “hybrid activist collective” as a way of understanding the human and non-human elements that gather together to act for environmental and social change in a collectivised, but not formally organised manner.

Journal

international Journal of Sociology and Social Policy – Emerald Publishing

Published: Sep 12, 2016

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