Young caregivers and COVID-19: a care-full approach through (post-)qualitative enquiry

Abstract

This article engages with transcript data from a larger longitudinal study of young carers’ experiences during COVID-19. We carefully engage with the transcripts of three young carers to think with the messiness of care in ways that extend beyond dyadic caregiver and care receiver categorization. Our work adopts Lonkila’s notion of ‘care-full’ research practices, which acknowledges multidirectional and complex care across the research apparatus. Pulling from multiple theoretical approaches, including feminist care ethics, critical disability studies and critical posthumanism, we follow the tendrils of care and think with the ways in which care may be affective, productive, confusing and oppressive.