Paper short abstract:

In this paper, I will explore the process of crafting one's moral self for young Chileans who have diabetes. I will present the tension this project represents for them, as they struggle to balance everyday life with the biomedical training on the "code of conduct" for good diabetics.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines Foucault's reflections on the ethical project of "care of the self" (1985), in relation to the everyday experiences of young people with type 1 diabetes. I conducted 12 months of fieldwork in Chile, finding that they not only explore multiple possibilities during the transition towards adulthood, but also engage in a process of crafting themselves as moral beings (Mattingly 2014).

For them, the "art of existence" (Foucault 1985, 10) not only involves training one's self to become a good employee, parent or student, but also a desire to vivir bien - or live well.

The attainment of this desire is somewhat conditioned by diabetes and the threat of developing short- and long-term health complications. To avoid these, and to "live well", they ought to follow the "good diabetics" code of conduct, forged by clinicians over many years of treatment. This code represents a 24/7 commitment, and it involves performing self-care routines, making good decisions, planning for the future, evaluating past decisions - both practically and morally - and re-accommodating them when necessary.

I will argue that the cultivation of moral selves represents a permanent struggle for young individuals. They constantly strive to balance the moral responsibility of behaving like "good diabetics", and thus taking care of themselves, with the everyday opportunity to perform a diabetes-free life. In this struggle, they become accountable - to themselves and the biomedical system - of their past decisions, but also responsible for "living well" in the future.