‘It’s a tiger instinct – that’s my baby!’: affective practices of care in parents’ educational activism

This article presents findings from a qualitative study exploring parents’ struggles over their children’s education. Drawing on affective practice theory (Wetherell, 2012) and feminist care ethics (Fisher and Tronto 1990), we offer insights into the affective practices of care driving parents’ educational activism. We detail how parents’ activism is rooted in powerful feelings of responsibility for their own children as well as more altruistic concerns. Whilst ostensibly grounded in self-interest, we argue that parents’ activism challenges the traditional binary between altruism and self-interest, indicating instead that they can be mutually constitutive of collective action; a complex form of affective practice we designate altruistic self-interest. Our analysis suggests parental activism can be a force for progressive educational change in which care for intimates and care for others coincide, but also that educational authorities could adopt a more care-full approach when making key decisions affecting children, families and communities.

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
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