Repair, Brokenness, Breakthrough: Ethnographic Responses (Politics of Repair Book 1)

Exploring some of the ways in which repair practices and perceptions of brokenness vary culturally, __Repair, Brokenness, Breakthrough__ argues that repair is both a process and also a consequence which is sought out—an attempt to extend the life of things as well as an answer to failures, gaps, wrongdoings, and leftovers. This volume develops an open-ended combination of empirical and theoretical questions including: What does it mean to claim that something is broken? At what point is something broken repairable? What are the social relationships that take place around repair? And how much tolerance for failure do our societies have? Contents List of Illustrations Introduction. Insiders’ Manual to Breakdown • Francisco Martínez Snapshot 1. Head, Heart, Hand: On Contradiction, Contingency and Repair • Caitlin DeSilvey Chapter 1. Underwater, Still Life: Multi-species Engagements with the Art Abject of a Wasted American Warship • Joshua O. Reno Snapshot 2. Beyond the Sparkle Zones • Kathleen Stewart Chapter 2. ‘Till Death Do Us Part’: The Making of Home through Holding on to Objects • Tomás Errázuriz Snapshot 3. ‘The Lady Is Not Here’: Repairing Tita Meme as a Telecare User • Tomás Sánchez Criado Chapter 3. In the House of Un-things: Decay and Deferral in a Vacated Bulgarian Home • Martin Demant Frederiksen Snapshot 4. Undisciplined Surfaces • Mateusz Laszczkowski Chapter 4. A Ride on the Elevator: Infrastructures of Brokenness and Repair in Georgia • Tamta Khalvashi Snapshot 5. Don’t Fix the Puddle: A Puddle Archive as Ethnographic Account of Sidewalk Assemblages • Mirja Busch and Ignacio Farías Chapter 5. What Is in a Hole? Voids out of Place and Politics below the State in Georgia • Francisco Martínez Snapshot 6. Maintaining Whose Road? • Agnieszka Joniak-Lüthi Chapter 6. Dirtscapes: Contest over Value, Garbage and Belonging in Istanbul • Aylin Yildirim Tschoepe Snapshot 7. Repairing Russia • Michał Murawski Chapter 7. Village Vintage in Southern Norway: Revitalisation and Vernacular Entrepreneurship in Culture Heritage Tourism • Sarah Holst Kjær Snapshot 8. A Story of Time Keepers • Jérôme Denis and David Pontille Chapter 8. Keeping Them ‘Swiss’: The Transfer and Appropriation of Techniques for Luxury-Watch Repair in Hong Kong • Hervé Munz Snapshot 9. Lost Battles of De-bobbling • Magdalena Crăciun Chapter 9. Small Mutinies in the Comfortable Slot: The New Environmentalism as Repair • Eeva Berglund Snapshot 10. Why Stories about Broken-Down Snowmobiles Can Teach You a Lot about Life in the Arctic Tundra • Aimar Ventsel Chapter 10. The Imperative of Repair: Fixing Bikes – for Free • Simon Batterbury and Tim Dant Snapshot 11. Repair and Responsibility: The Art of Doris Salcedo • Siobhan Kattago Chapter 11. Social Repair and (Re)Creation: Broken Relationships and a Path Forward for Austrian Holocaust Survivors • Katja Seidel Snapshot 12. Living Switches • Wladimir Sgibnev Chapter 12. Brokenness and Normality in Design Culture • Adam Drazin Snapshot 13. And Then You See Yourself Disappear • Jason Pine Epilogue. This Mess We’re in, or Part of • Patrick Laviolette Index "What does it mean to claim that something is broken? What is the connection between tinkering and innovation? And how much tolerance for failure do our societies have? Exploring some of the ways in which repair practices and perceptions of brokenness vary culturally, Repair, Brokenness, Breakthrough argues that repair is an attempt to extend the life of things as well as an answer to failures, gaps, wrongdoings and leftovers. The set of contributions illustrates the strong affective power hidden in situations of disrepair and repair; broken objects often bring strong emotions into play, but also energising reactions of creative action"-- Provided by publisher