Care of Things

Jérôme Denis is Professor of Sociology at Mines Paris-PSL.David Pontille is Director of Research at CNRS.

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionThe art of making things lastA transfer of attentionThe vocabulary of humans and things PathwaysChapter 1: MaintainingBeyond innovation Repair and breakdown A daily pulsationNeither heroes nor heroinesReassigning attentionChapter 2: FragilitiesSocieties repopulated with objectsThe diplomacy of wear and tearCare and thingsChapter 3: AttentionDisplacements MultisensorialityExpertise VigilanceAttachmentsChapter 4: EncountersRecalcitranceDisassemblyTransformationsWorriesThe dance of maintenanceChapter 5: TimeProlongation PermanenceSlowing downStubbornnessFrom time to thingChapter 6: TactAdjustmentsSurprises Heritage diplomaciesPathways inspired by environmental ethicsEthics and the care of thingsChapter 7: ConflictsShortening the life of goodsThe values of durationThe emancipation of useRedistributed knowledgeThe people of thingsResponsibilitiesConclusionNotesIndex

"For years, the dynamic duo of Denis and Pontille have been producing some of the best work on maintenance and repair out there – full stop.  This new translation is a landmark contribution, and one we’ll be reading and learning from for years to come."Steven J. Jackson, Professor of Information Science and Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University"This is a spirited book that, with its large array of cases, will gradually get you sensitised to the fragility of a great diversity of things, so that you come to admire the hands-on experts who nurture stuff and tools, rather than tolerating their decay."Annemarie Mol, author of The Logic of Care and Eating in Theory"This book makes the thinking around maintenance into a timely intervention, creating a distinctive proposition that will appeal to a broad readership. The writing is beautiful and accessible, without losing in theoretical sophistication. The thinking is philosophical and ethnographically rich at the same time, and the book combines and deploys a remarkable depth of scholarship, careful attention to empirical detail and stories, as well as a generous approach to theorising."María Puig della Bellacasa, author of Matters of Care