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Repair, reuse and disposal are closely interlinked phenomena related to the service lives and persistence of technologies. When technical artefacts become old and worn out, decisions have to be taken: is it necessary, worthwhile or even possible to maintain and repair, reuse or dismantle them - or must they be discarded? These decisions depend on factors such as the availability of second-hand markets, repair infrastructures and dismantling or disposal facilities. In telling the stories of China's power grid, Canadian telephones, German automobiles and India's shipbreaking business, among others, the contributions in this volume highlight the persistence of technologies and show that maintenance and repair are not obsolete in modern industries and consumer societies.
About the author
Stefan Krebs ist Senior Research Scientist for Contemporary History am Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH) an der Universität Luxemburg.Heike Weber (Dr. phil.) ist Professorin für Technikkulturwissenschaft am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). Ihre Arbeitsschwerpunkte liegen in der Technik-, Konsum- und Mediengeschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts.
Summary
Repair, reuse and disposal are closely interlinked phenomena related to the service lives and persistence of technologies. When technical artefacts become old and worn out, decisions have to be taken: is it necessary, worthwhile or even possible to maintain and repair, reuse or dismantle them – or must they be discarded? These decisions depend on factors such as the availability of second-hand markets, repair infrastructures and dismantling or disposal facilities. In telling the stories of China's power grid, Canadian telephones, German automobiles and India's shipbreaking business, among others, the contributions in this volume highlight the persistence of technologies and show that maintenance and repair are not obsolete in modern industries and consumer societies.
Report
»Without a doubt, this collection moves the study of technology forward in important and productive conceptual avenues.«
Kevin L. Borg, Technology and Culture, 3 (2023) 20230927
