Iranian Journal Of Antheropology

Iranian Journal Of Antheropology

Care-Full Living and Anxiously Regarding Enduring Suffering: A Narrative Ethnography among Caregivers of Stroke Survivors in Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
ali akherati 1
AbouAli Vedadhir 2
Zohreh Anvari 3
1 Anthropology Dep., social science Faculty, Tehran University, ،Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Anthropology Dep., Social science Faculty, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jasi.2026.2086284.1617
Abstract
Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide and the most common cause of adult disability in Iran. Its consequences extend beyond survivors, profoundly affecting family members and significant others. In many cases, responsibility for care falls on informal caregivers, particularly relatives. Although extensive research has examined caregiver burden and its physical and psychological effects, caregiving itself has received less attention as a relational and moral phenomenon. This study explores the lived experiences of family caregivers of stroke survivors, focusing on how caregiving transforms time, meaning, identity, and social relations. Adopting a narrative ethnographic approach within medical anthropology, the study draws on participant observation, semi-structured interviews with ten primary caregivers, and sustained engagement in caregiving settings. Narrative-interpretive analysis identifies three major themes. The first is suspended time, in which ordinary rhythms of everyday life are disrupted and caregivers inhabit an extended, exhausting present. The second is ambiguous loss, whereby caregivers confront the presence of a loved one who remains physically alive but is no longer the person they once knew. The third is becoming a caregiver, a process through which caregiving gradually becomes a central component of identity. The findings show that kinship obligations, moral commitments, and social expectations play a crucial role in sustaining caregiving practices. This study argues that care is not merely a set of practical activities undertaken in response to illness; rather, it constitutes a mode of engagement with vulnerability, suffering, and moral responsibility. On this basis, the concept of Care-Full Living is proposed as a conceptual horizon through which caregiving can be understood not simply as a response to crisis but as a way of being in the world emerging through sustained encounters with vulnerability, suffering, and responsibility.
Keywords
Care
Care-Full Living
Informal Caregivers
Narrative Ethnography
Stroke
Subjects
 
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Iranian Journal Of Antheropology
Volume 22, Issue 41
February 2026
Pages 151-177