ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the history of feminism and self-care, looking in particular at the ways self-care as both a personal and institutional priority disrupts “neoliberal ideals of labor, productivity, capacity,” the gendered nature of caring and its subsequent devaluing, along with practical tips for individuals and supervisors on how to practice effective self-care. This chapter also explores how those of us in the margins (women, GLBT, people of color, etc.) need self-care because we’re the most vulnerable in the macro/institutional sense, as Sara Ahmed has pointed out: “Lorde says self-care is not self-indulgence but self-preservation. Some have to look after themselves because they are not looked after: their being is not cared for, supported, protected.” How do we, as women’s and gender center staff in neoliberal institutions claim that self-preservation for ourselves?
