Exploring What Care and Attentiveness Mean to Different People
The Ihtimam Collective Memory is a shared space where we gather stories, reflections, and experiences about what ihtimam means, how it is felt, and how it takes shape in everyday life.
We do not want to reduce ihtimam to a single definition.
Instead, we seek to make visible the many ways people understand and experience care through their own lives. We believe that some of the most important knowledge about care is not found only in reports, policies, or academic research, but in the lived experiences of the people who practice, receive, and navigate care every day.
Why Collective Memory?
In recent years, the concept of lived experience has become increasingly important across research, policy, and social change work.
This approach recognizes that understanding a social issue requires listening not only to experts, but also to the people whose lives are directly shaped by that experience.
Care is no exception.
The ways people give care, receive care, notice care, or long for care contain forms of knowledge that are often overlooked. The Collective Memory was created to make this knowledge visible and accessible.
A Living Archive of Care Experiences
Through the Ihtimam Collective Memory, we gather:
- Personal reflections on care and attentiveness,
- Stories of everyday care practices,
- Individual definitions of ihtimam,
- Experiences of giving and receiving care,
- Observations about care, solidarity, and interdependence,
- Memories that reveal how care shapes everyday life.
Together, these contributions create a richer understanding of care than any single definition could provide.
Learning from One Another
We also extend this invitation through our Instagram community, where we regularly ask people what ihtimam means to them and encourage them to share their experiences of care in everyday life.
The stories we have collected so far reveal something powerful: while care takes different forms for different people, many experiences resonate across generations, communities, and backgrounds.
One of our most memorable moments came when the grandmother of one of our Common Nourishers (Ortak Besleyiciler) encountered these stories and said:
“For the first time, I understand what a civil society organization actually does.”
For us, this was a meaningful reminder that stories can sometimes communicate ideas more effectively than definitions.
Building a Culture of Care Together
We see the Ihtimam Collective Memory as more than a collection of stories.
It is a shared space where we build a culture of care together, learn from one another’s experiences, and make visible the many meanings and forms that care can take.
As new stories, reflections, and experiences are added, the Collective Memory continues to grow as a living archive of care.
Contribute to the Collective Memory
If you would like to contribute, we invite you to explore the Ihtimam Collective Memory and participate in our storytelling calls through our Instagram community.
Every story helps deepen our collective understanding of care.
