2015/08/18 by Eileen Boris · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Social Policy and Reform Studies #Political and Economic history of UK and US #Labor Movements and Unions
paper · doi:10.1093/sp/jxv028
openalex publication_date 2015/08/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Since the 1970s, Sonya Michel has produced historical studies that enhance public debate. Even as she pioneered a precise use of maternalism, she anticipated the placing of care work at the center of the study of welfare states. Through collaboration and inclusion, by crossing academic and geographic borders, and linking past and present, she has modeled what collective research and social engagement looks like. This essay reflects on her writings in light of her intellectual activism, highlighting the Women's Committee of 100 for Welfare Justice. It ends with a reflection on Michel's latest focus on the global dimensions of care and what it means to act with care workers themselves.