Introduction

For several decades now, concerns for widening participation and lifelong learning have led to the implementation of a range of practices and policies seeking to attract, retain and develop so-called non-traditional students. In many instances, students with caring responsibilities have been left out of these conversations.

This collected edition is a timely contribution to addressing the in/visibilities and mis/recognition that student carers frequently encounter as they attempt to reconcile the oft-conflicting demands of academic and care work. As well as setting up the societal and policy background against which student carers live their lives, this introduction contributes to the international scholarly field that examines care in the academy. It draws attention to the complexity of participation for many student carers and explores the possibilities and ethics of building momentum towards a ‘care-centric’ higher education. It also provides a short review of the scholarship on carers in academia, pointing to the diversity and intersectionality of student carers’ experiences. Last, the introduction provides a brief overview of the content of each chapter.