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Paper short abstract:

This paper argue that acts of care identified as a part of social reproductive activities are a vital aspect of the rural agrarian women's resistance to neo-liberalism and contribute to women's agency. It will contribute to expand the understanding of care.

Paper long abstract:

Scholarships at present have expanded our understating of the concept of care, going beyond the mere understanding of mutual aid and self-care to include solidarity and redistribution forms of power (Hobart and Kneese, 2020).

While conducting fieldwork during the pandemic and the economic crisis in Monaragala, one of the poorest districts in Sri Lanka, I witnessed sharing of care burden among the women attached to a rural women's organisation. The care activities were visible in both their personal and professional lives. While engaging with the organisation, women share care activities which include assisting cultivations, sharing produce, food and childcare activities. Furthermore, they have created a network of care to sustain the lives of their colleagues and members. These acts of care are important in a society where women are marginalised and mostly poor. They provided value to unpaid care work and created their informal care networks when faced with constrained resources. These diverse acts of care contribute to their activism, collectivity, resistance activities against neo-liberal economic policies and women's agency.

Using a Feminist Political Economic perspective and the case study of Monaragala Sri Lanka, I will argue that acts of care identified as a part of social reproductive activities are a vital aspect of the rural agrarian women's resistance to neo-liberalism and contribute to women's agency. This will contribute to expanding the understanding of care and to re-theorise it.

Reference

Hobart, H. I. J. K., & Kneese, T. (2020). Care: Survival Strategies for Uncertain Times. Social Text, 38(1 (142)), 1-16.