[Themaintainers] New Book - The Care of Things. Ethics and Politics of Maintenance

Sat Feb 8 08:22:11 EST 2025

Thank you Camille,

No plans in the US for now (where it will be available in April). Things in the UK are taking shape. Edinburgh in May, and probably London soon.
We’ll let you know, if/when we manage to organize something!

Best,
D&J

------ Message d'origine ------
De "Camille E. Acey" <connect at camilleacey.com<mailto:connect at camilleacey.com>>
À "Jérôme DENIS" <jerome.denis at minesparis.psl.eu<mailto:jerome.denis at minesparis.psl.eu>>
Cc "themaintainers at lists.stevens.edu<mailto:themaintainers at lists.stevens.edu>" <themaintainers at lists.stevens.edu<mailto:themaintainers at lists.stevens.edu>>; "David PONTILLE" <david.pontille at minesparis.psl.eu<mailto:david.pontille at minesparis.psl.eu>>
Date 07/02/2025 21:21:52
Objet Re: [Themaintainers] New Book - The Care of Things. Ethics and Politics of Maintenance

This sounds amazing! Will you be talking about it anywhere soon?
Camille E. Acey
The Wind Down<https://wind-down.org> | Stewarding Loss community<https://stewardingloss.com> | Closing Remarks newsletter<https://wind-down.org/newsletter/archive>
New York, NY (GMT -5)
"Today, I choose to close the door to yesterday and open my mind, my heart, and my spirit to the blessings of this moment." - Iyanla Vanzant<https://www.wind-down.org/2024/01/03/morning-closure-affirmation-by-iyanla-vanzant/>

Feb 7, 2025 10:56:29 AM Jérôme DENIS <jerome.denis at minesparis.psl.eu<mailto:jerome.denis at minesparis.psl.eu>>:

Dear all,

David Pontille and myself are delighted to announce the publication of our book The Care of Things. Ethics and Politics of Maintenance by Polity Book.
It is available today in the UK and will arrive in bookstores in the US in April.

All the best,

[cid:em05ee37de-7575-46fc-998c-0a2ebeaa5fd4 at 04f7bc59.com]

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.

This book disrupts dominant narratives by putting those individuals skilled in the art of maintenance front and centre. Jérôme Denis and David Pontille shine a spotlight on the subtle aspects of caring for things, tracing the stories of those involved and, with them, the ethical challenges raised and political lessons learned. These people demonstrate a sensitivity and attentiveness to fragility; they encourage us to cultivate a material diplomacy in which wear is accepted and our relation to things becomes a matter of negotiation and compromise – a far cry from the frenetic rhythm of planned obsolescence inherent in hyper-consumerism. Maintenance demarcates the contours of a world in which we have relinquished the human longing for unlimited power and technological autonomy, a world where our attachment to things is more profound than we ever imagined.

Endorsements:
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 book 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 hear which care they call for – and admire the hands-on experts, who nurture stuff and tools, rather than tolerating their decay.
Annemarie Mol, Professor dr. A., Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam

This book makes of the thinking around maintenance into a timely intervention, creating a distinctive proposition that can 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-with the wide range of authors they are in conversation with.
Maria Puig de la Bellacasa, Professor, History of Consciousness Department, UC Santa Cruz

Jérôme DENIS
professor of sociology
Head of the center for the sociology of innovation
Mines Paris - PSL - i3 (CNRS)
60, bd St Michel - 75006 Paris - France
(33)1 40 51 40 92
publications<https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/search/index/?qa%5BauthIdHal_s%5D%5B%5D=jeromedenis&sort=producedDate_tdate+desc&docType_s=COUV+OR+ART+OR+DOUV+OR+OUV> // @jrmdns<http://twitter.com/jrmdnshttps://assemblag.es/@jeromedenis> // scriptopolis<http://www.scriptopolis.fr/en>
new books in 2025
J. Denis & D. Pontille The care of things<https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=the-care-of-things-ethics-and-politics-of-maintenance--9781509562381> (Polity Books)
F. Domínguez Rubio, J. Denis, & D. Pontille (eds) Fragitilies<https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262550758/fragilities/> (MIT Press)

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