Relazione, cura e disabilitazione

In this article I move from a criticism of the notion of “relation”, very widespread both in sociology and philosophy, arguing that we’d better use the term “interaction” in any case we assign it the meaning of a process, instead of a product. In the second section, I connect the previous discussion with the issue of ‘disability’, which I prefer to name ‘disablement’ in order to bear firmly in mind that disability is not something, but the result of a process, on which the notion of relation and especially ‘care relation(ship)’ have a relevant impact. Finally, I suggest my reading of the well-known literature on “care” and “care ethics” (or “ethics of care”), with a particular attention to an often-neglected issue, that concerning the links between care and power.