Nursing a Radical Imagination

Book excerpt: Examining the historical context of healthcare whilst focusing on building a more just, equitable world, this book proposes a radical imagination for nursing and presents possibilities for speculative futures embracing queer, feminist, posthuman, and abolitionist frames. Bringing together radical and emancipatory perspectives from an international selection of authors, this book reflects on the realities created by the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing that our situation is not new but the result of ongoing hegemonies and injustices. The authors attend to the history of nursing and related institutions, examining the assumptions, ideologies, and discourses that shape the discipline and its place within healthcare. They explore the impact of this context on contemporary nursing and look at alternative visions for the future. The final section specifically focuses on ways that we can move forward. Envisioning new possibilities for nursing, this innovative volume is a vital resource for practitioners, scholars and students keen to promote social justice within and without nursing. It is an important contribution to nursing theory, philosophy and history.