[Themaintainers] Question from a journalist

Sun Apr 21 17:35:32 EDT 2019

Lynn, 

Thank you for the question!  Something not yet mentioned… though an explicit focus on maintenance is slightly new for anthropologists, your question has reminded me that repetition is a fundamental concept for several sub-disciplines in anthropology - linguistics is one area that has explored it extensively (“Repetition” by Penelope Brown, Journal of Linguistics).  And the study of ritual has also long relied on examination of repetition - but recently, “On the impossibility of invariant repetition: ritual, tradition and creativity among Sri Lankan ritual specialists” by Bob Simpson in History and Anthropology, or  "Bringing Kierkegaard into Anthropology: Repetition, absurdity and curses in Fiji” by Matt Tomlinson in American Ethnology (both explore the productivity of the illusion of repetition).  There’s also the role of repetition in performance (of identities, social roles, ritual, gender) like Judith Butler’s "Gender Trouble," or “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: an essay in phenomenology and feminist theory” in Theatre Journal.  Even medical anthropologists have utilized it: “Persons, Places and Times: The Meanings of Repetition in an STD Clinic” by Lori Leonard, et al.  Perhaps more interesting for folks interested in this and maintenance, however, is Felicity Aulino’s "Rituals of Care for the Elderly in northern Thailand: Merit, mortality, and the everyday of long-term care", in American Ethnologist.

I’m sure some of these are leading off into the weeds for you, but there is much more and probably better anthropological work on this than I’ve suggested.

Best,
Juris

Juris Milestone, Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology
Temple University
juris at temple.edu

> On Apr 21, 2019, at 3:37 PM, Lynn Berger <lynn at decorrespondent.nl> wrote:
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> Wow, thanks a lot for all these excellent examples and thoughts! There are even more sides to this topic of repetition than I thought :). 
> I'm sure I'll have fun exploring the various avenues (and might get back to some of you for more information). 
> 
> Happy Easter!
> Lynn.
> 
> 
> Lynn Berger
> De Correspondent <http://www.decorrespondent.nl/lynnberger>
> Barentzplein 7BG 
> 1013 NJ Amsterdam
> @LynnBerger1984 <https://twitter.com/LynnBerger1984>
> 06 24102193
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Sat, 20 Apr 2019 at 16:05, Shu Changxue <shuchangxue at gmail.com <mailto:shuchangxue at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Hi Lynn,
> 
> My recent work "Towards Modern Ceramics in China" might fit into your scenario. My starting point, more than ten years ago, was to maintain and raise awareness of very inconspicuous architecture built in bricks. As the investigation went on, it has revealed a very "innovative" history about modern ceramics in China:  brick was actually the starting point and motive force of Chinese ceramics shifting to a novel paradigm.
> 
> The story, in part, is synthesized in a forthcoming article titled "Towards modern ceramics in China: Engineering sources and the Manufacture céramique de Shanghai.” in: Technology and Culture, v.61, n.2 (accepted on 5 Sep 2018, scheduled in April 2020) (ISSN: 0040-165X, E-ISSN:1097-3729). 
> 
> If you need more information please let me know!
> Changxue
> 
> 
> On Fri, Apr 19, 2019 at 11:25 AM Lynn Berger <lynn at decorrespondent.nl <mailto:lynn at decorrespondent.nl>> wrote:
> Hello Maintainers!
> 
> Short version: I'm a journalist working on a story about the value of repetition and why we usually overlook it because we're more interested in novelty. I draw a parallel to how we tend to prefer innovation to maintenance and want to point out that this is silly, not least because maintenance is often a condition for innovation. And now I'm wondering: do the people on this list have some examples of when maintenance work led to new insights that led to innovation? 
> 
> Slightly longer version:
> My name is Lynn Berger and I've been on this list for some time. I have a PhD in communications from Columbia University (I studied 19th century photography and the law) but for the last six years I've been working as a journalist at De Correspondent, an online journalism platform based in Amsterdam. I cover technology and culture there; a few years ago I wrote a piece about the rediscovery of maintenance, with pride of place for the maintainers. (Those who read Dutch can find it here <https://decorrespondent.nl/6816/he-innovators-gamechangers-en-disrupters-vergeten-jullie-het-onderhoud-niet/227102304-f476506a>, and a short followup I wrote on repair, here <https://decorrespondent.nl/7414/waarom-het-recht-op-repareren-ons-allemaal-aangaat/247027066-a9e9bbdc>.)
> 
> Currently I'm working on a story about the value of repetition and how we tend to overlook it because we're more interested in novelty. I draw a parallel to how we tend to prefer innovation to maintenance and want to point out that this is missing the point, not least because maintenance is often a condition for innovation. 
> 
> And now I'm wondering: do the people on this list have some examples of when maintenance work led to new insights that led to innovation? 
> 
> I'd be grateful for a few good and concrete examples. And for your time, of course!
> 
> Thank you in advance and keep up the good work (!)
> Lynn.
> 
> Lynn Berger
> De Correspondent <http://www.decorrespondent.nl/lynnberger>
> Barentzplein 7BG 
> 1013 NJ Amsterdam
> @LynnBerger1984 <https://twitter.com/LynnBerger1984>
> 06 24102193
> 
> 
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> -- 
> Dr. SHU Changxue 舒畅雪
> FWO Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow (postdoctoral)
> University of Leuven
> Faculty of Engineering Science: Department of Architecture (http://www.asro.kuleuven.be <http://www.asro.kuleuven.be/>)
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