The Carework Network was launched in August 2000 with a one-day conference at Howard University in Washington, D.C., prior to the American Sociological Association meetings. In the quarter century that has elapsed since then, many of our motivating questions have remained pressing social issues and persistent research interests. At the same time, new questions have emerged as the Network has expanded to include greater diversity of disciplines, participants, geographic contexts, and research settings.

The Carework Network is seizing this twenty-fifth anniversary opportunity to reflect on the histories and futures of care work research, as well as the study of care more broadly. This will take place during a three-day bilingual conference (in Spanish and English) that will bring together researchers and activists from different parts of the world.

The conference will explore how conversations about care have evolved during this period and what factors have given rise to notable turning points. These include not only concrete events such as the 2008 financial crisis or the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but also more persistent dynamics over time, such as the environmental crisis, widespread neoliberal policies, the continued importance of migrant workers in the care sector, the changing role of technologies and infrastructures, and the renewed global recognition of the effects of racism and colonialism.

We invite proposals that allow us to explore these histories together, as well as their implications for the future of care and care studies. We welcome proposals in the following formats:

1. Individual proposals: Should include a 300-word abstract of the paper to be presented and a brief (5 sources) bibliography of the work that has informed your research or the area with which the paper is in conversation.
2. Constituted panel proposals: Should explain the theme and the relationship between the papers presented in the panel, which should not exceed 300 words. Additionally, 300-word abstracts of each panel paper should be included. We encourage panel organizers to bring together participants from different perspectives, geographies, methodologies, and/or to connect academic knowledge with public conversations.

All submitted proposals must include title, name, author contact information, institutional affiliation (if applicable), and occupational status (students, professors, activists, professionals, etc.). All proposals must include research objectives or questions, methodology, relevant geographic or sectoral context, main findings and conclusions, and 4-5 keywords describing the research.

We welcome proposals in English or Spanish from all disciplines, as well as independent researchers, activists, non-profit organizations, and organizations from both the public and private sectors.

Likewise, we encourage the participation of undergraduate and graduate students. The Carework Network is an international organization of researchers and activists, focusing on the care work of individuals, families, communities, in both paid and unpaid contexts. In addition, it also addresses care work in social service agencies and state bureaucracies.

Authors and panel organizers must submit a paper or panel proposal to careworknetwork2025@gmail.com (by email only) before September 15, 2024. If selected, they will be notified in October and are expected to present a complete paper before April 1, 2025.

Assistance with visa applications will be available thanks to Duke Global.

Any questions about the Global Conference may be directed to the following email: careworknetwork2025@gmail.com