Towards an interdependent fraternity: From the fantasy of individuality to care politics

Coinciding with the reprint of El eclipse de la fraternidad, and as a tribute to the author, Antoni Domenech, this article offers a reflection on the notion of fraternity inherited from the emancipatory tradition. Specifically, the first section reveals the assumptions on which the ideal of fraternity is built, especially, the gender biases of the ideas of individual and in/dependence that lie underneath it. Confronted with the deficiencies of this conceptualization, a recovery and reformulation of such an ideal is proposed, one that may be capable of drawing attention to the care work and interdependencies inherent to social ties. The second section puts forward, in broad strokes, what public policies that promote an interdependent fraternity could be like.