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Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction. Feminism in/as Biopolitics -- 1 Assembling Protocol Feminism -- 2 Immodest Witnessing, Affective Economies, and Objectivity -- 3 Pap Smears, Cervical Cancer, and Scales -- 4 Traveling Technology and a Device for Not Performing Abortions -- Conclusion. Living the Contradiction -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Responding to the call by Maria Puig de la Bellacasa for Science and Technology Studies to take up 'matters of care', this article cautions against equating care with positive feelings and, in contrast, argues for the importance of grappling with the non-innocent histories in which the politics of care already circulates, particularly in transnational couplings of feminism and health. The article highlights these histories by tracing multiple versions of the politics of care in a select set of feminist engagements with the pap smear and cervical cancer. Drawing on postcolonial and indigenous feminist commitments, as well as amplifying Donna Haraway's call to 'stay with the trouble', the article seeks to disturb hegemonic histories and arrangements of race, colonialism, and political economy, while simultaneously valuing divergent multi-local itineraries as relevant to technoscientific matters of care. This call for a politics of 'unsettling' care strives to stir up and put into motion what is sedimented, while embracing the generativity of discomfort, critique, and non-innocence.

This paper argues a basic income system could transform the means of income redistribution and social empowerment in society, and move us decisively towards the egalitarian principle of giving everyone equal access to the conditions to live a flourishing life. Basic income is a universal non-conditional payment, paid at the same level to everyone regardless of income or wealth. The paper considers basic income as a transformative strategy from a number of perspectives: economic, social, cultural and environmental, and then considers basic income as an alternative and transformative idea for Ireland. It presents three potential pathways in which it could be implemented and elaborates and provides full costings on how one such proposal could be funded and concludes it is affordable, feasible and politically viable in Ireland today.

PurposeCurrent statistics highlight the increasing prevalence of homelessness in Australia, however, there is scant research regarding empathy and homelessness in the paramedic literature. Research in other areas of healthcare demonstrates that interaction with the homeless can positively impact empathetic attitudes and also highlights the opportunity to examine if these results are consistent or generalisable to the Australian paramedic profession. Therefore, the aim of our study was to explore paramedic students' empathetic attitudes towards homelessness.Design/methodology/approachA sequential mixed method design study was undertaken using a repeated measures and focus group approach. Paramedic students participated in clinical experience, involving interactions with the homeless. This entailed participating in at least four shifts (11 pm – 5 am) where students gained experience at the Salvation Army Health Café or with the Youth Street Teams in Melbourne, Australia. Empathy levels of the paramedic students toward homelessness, both pre- and post- were measured using the Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS) and the Health Professionals' Attitudes Toward the Homeless Inventory (HPATHI). A focus group with student participants was also conducted to obtain further detailed information about their perceptions of the experience.FindingsA total of 20 students participated (100% response rate). Statistically significant (p < 0.05) increases were observed on the MCRS pre- to post- data with total mean scores of 48.35 (SD ± 8.33) and 51.65 (SD ± 5.56), respectively. On the HPATHI a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) increase in Personal Advocacy was observed. Eight of these students took part in a subsequent focus group. Following thematic analysis of the focus group, a number of common themes were identified that included: communication, empathy and rapport, and a change in perception and attitude.Originality/valueThe results of this pilot study demonstrate that through participation in a project involving experience interacting with the homeless population, paramedic students showed a greater level of empathy towards the homeless. Increases in empathetic regard, social advocacy and personal advocacy were also found.

The authors are grateful for funding from the Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme, and from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 245009 (NeuroFAST). ; Peer reviewed ; Postprint