University teaching expert explores the meaning of care in new book

A teaching expert from the University of Bedfordshire’s Centre for Learning Excellence explores the notion of care in unusual settings in his new book.

The Care Factory, written by Education Developer David Mathew, consists of several essays that invite readers to consider what care means in different settings, such as healthcare or education.

David said: “I wanted to write this book because I wanted to explore the notion of care in situations and settings that are not traditionally care settings – or are not what you might ordinarily think of when you think of the word care.”

As well as the essays David interviewed academics from nursing and midwifery to explore how they teach their students the importance of care and what it can mean in different situations.

“It was a challenge I set myself – to write about care under a series of psychoanalytic frameworks. I wanted to push my own limits,” said David.

Darian Leader, author of What is Madness, described the book as an ‘original and important study, encouraging us to question a concept that is all too often taken for granted.’

He added: “The interviews and discussions in The Care Factory show us how the word care is the bearer of so many assumptions, prejudices and beliefs that it would be irresponsible not to reflect on.”

The book is due to be released in August and can be pre-ordered here: The Care Factory by David Mathew