Precarity

The Courage and the Scourge of Caring: Coal Miners’ Earthquake Search and Rescue Work

The Soma coal miners translated their underground skills into life-saving care after the February 6, 2023, earthquakes, acting swiftly where the state failed. Using traditional mining techniques, they reinforced the rubble, creating moments of survival through expertise, solidarity, and sheer physical courage. Their intervention exposes how care under capitalism remains reactive—yet, when organized, it holds the potential to resist collapse and build a different future.