LibGuides: Who cares? A history of emotions in nursing: General resources

General resources

Who cares? A History of Emotions in Nursing
On display at the RCN Library and Heritage Centre from 22 January 2020.

Did you know emotions have a history? Find out about the emotions associated with nursing, from ideas of religious love and faith, motherhood and femininity, to the role of military discipline, anger and activism.

Our exhibition at the RCN Library and Heritage Centre draws on new research from the Queen Mary Centre for the History of Emotions. We invite you to explore the emotions expected of nurses through time, and the different experiences of caregivers themselves. Join us in this online version as we delve into a range of feelings - from anger to reflection, sadness to compassion, fortitude to fear - and question how emotions feature in care. Who is ultimately responsible for them?

Below is a list of resources that accompany the overarching theme of our exhibition.

The language of kindness: a nurse's story by Watson, C.
Publication Date: 2018
Christie Watson was a nurse for twenty years. Taking us from birth to death and from A&E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is an astounding account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness.
How to treat people by Case, M.
Publication Date: 2019
Weaving together medical history, art, memoir and science, How to Treat People beautifully illustrates the intricacies of the human condition and the oscillating rhythms of life and death. Most of all, it is a heart-stopping reminder that we can all find meaning in being part, even for a moment, of the lives of others.
The Emotional Labour of Nursing Revisited by Smith, P.
Publication Date: 2011
Revisiting her original findings in light of fresh theoretical perspectivesand data drawn from her own new research studies, Smith explores the waysin which the experience of learning nursing and caring is changing in the 21st century.
Face to Face with Emotions in Health and Social Care by Gray, B.
Publication Date: 2012
The book recounts the stories and sometimes disturbing emotions of people whose lives have undergone sudden change or even drastic trauma; people whose feelings of comfort and safety have been shattered by exposure to illness, abuse, death and bereavement.
Emotional Labour in Health Care by Theodosius, C.
Publication Date: 2005
This book delves into personal accounts of nurses' emotion expressions and experiences as they emerge from everyday nursing practice, and illustrates how their emotional labour is adapting in response to a constantly changing work environment.
The Shock of the Fall by Filer, N.
Publication Date: 2015
While on vacation with their parents, Matthew Homes and his older brother sneak out in the middle of the night. Only Matthew comes home safely. Ten years later, Matthew tells us, he has found a way to bring his brother back... What begins as the story of a lost boy turns into a story of a brave man yearning to understand what happened that night, in the years since, and to his very person. Unafraid to look at the shadows of our hearts, Nathan Filer's rare and brilliant debut The Shock of the Fall shows us the strength that is rooted in resilience and love.