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"What does a coffee machine, a car, road signs, a smartphone, a cathedral, a work of art, a satellite, a bicycle, a washing machine, a bridge, a watch, a computer, the body of a prominent politician and a tractor have in common? Pretty much nothing--except for the fact that, no matter how small, large, important or insignificant something is, it rarely survives without being cared for. Every object eventually experiences wear and tear, it deteriorates, stops working or breaks down. But are we giving the care of things the recognition it deserves? A counterpoint to our modern obsession with innovation but less striking than the one-off act of restoration, the delicate act of making things last rarely attracts our attention"-- Provided by publisher.
List of contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
The art of making things last
A transfer of attention
The vocabulary of humans and things
Pathways
Chapter 1: Maintaining
Beyond innovation
Repair and breakdown
A daily pulsation
Neither heroes nor heroines
Reassigning attention
Chapter 2: Fragilities
Societies repopulated with objects
The diplomacy of wear and tear
Care and things
Chapter 3: Attention
Displacements
Multisensoriality
Expertise
Vigilance
Attachments
Chapter 4: Encounters
Recalcitrance
Disassembly
Transformations
Worries
The dance of maintenance
Chapter 5: Time
Prolongation
Permanence
Slowing down
Stubbornness
From time to thing
Chapter 6: Tact
Adjustments
Surprises
Heritage diplomacies
Pathways inspired by environmental ethics
Ethics and the care of things
Chapter 7: Conflicts
Shortening the life of goods
The values of duration
The emancipation of use
Redistributed knowledge
The people of things
Responsibilities
Conclusion
Notes
Index
About the author
Jérôme Denis is Professor of Sociology at Mines Paris-PSL.
David Pontille is Director of Research at CNRS.
