Aging enacted in practice : How unloved objects thrive in the shadows of care
(2024) In Journal of Aging Studies 71.- Abstract
In this paper, we explore the seeming stability of aging. More precisely, we offer an empirical account of how aging – images of aging, embodiments of aging, feelings about aging – is enacted in company practice, both in place and across time. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at SMCare, a small-to-medium sized company active in the care technology sector, we show how aging achieves its stability not through practices that are characterized by affection, or purposefully targeted at maintaining or caring for aging, but due to ongoing re-enactments in the shadows of other care practices. In so doing, we mobilize STS care literature that foregrounds the often-invisible relationships among objects that are otherwise neglected,... (More)
In this paper, we explore the seeming stability of aging. More precisely, we offer an empirical account of how aging – images of aging, embodiments of aging, feelings about aging – is enacted in company practice, both in place and across time. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at SMCare, a small-to-medium sized company active in the care technology sector, we show how aging achieves its stability not through practices that are characterized by affection, or purposefully targeted at maintaining or caring for aging, but due to ongoing re-enactments in the shadows of other care practices. In so doing, we mobilize STS care literature that foregrounds the often-invisible relationships among objects that are otherwise neglected, marginalized and excluded. In particular, we interrogate the interlinkages between aging and caring practices as emerging in the shadows of care. In these blind spots, we find, certain unloved and disliked objects such as aging may aggregate and grow, becoming stable and durable as they are incidentally brought into existence, drawing energy from, and feeding off, other care practices.
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- author
- Fischer, Bjoern LU ; Östlund, Britt LU and Peine, Alexander
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Aging as object, Enactment, Ethnography, Maintenance, Shadows of care, STS, Temporality
- in
- Journal of Aging Studies
- volume
- 71
- article number
- 101266
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85203239290
- ISSN
- 1879-193X
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jaging.2024.101266
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- f7f42421-bf48-4794-be79-524a8c270306
- date added to LUP
- 2024-09-24 15:28:14
- date last changed
- 2024-09-25 08:48:38
@article{f7f42421-bf48-4794-be79-524a8c270306, abstract = {{<p>In this paper, we explore the seeming stability of aging. More precisely, we offer an empirical account of how aging – images of aging, embodiments of aging, feelings about aging – is enacted in company practice, both in place and across time. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at SMCare, a small-to-medium sized company active in the care technology sector, we show how aging achieves its stability not through practices that are characterized by affection, or purposefully targeted at maintaining or caring for aging, but due to ongoing re-enactments in the shadows of other care practices. In so doing, we mobilize STS care literature that foregrounds the often-invisible relationships among objects that are otherwise neglected, marginalized and excluded. In particular, we interrogate the interlinkages between aging and caring practices as emerging in the shadows of care. In these blind spots, we find, certain unloved and disliked objects such as aging may aggregate and grow, becoming stable and durable as they are incidentally brought into existence, drawing energy from, and feeding off, other care practices.</p>}}, author = {{Fischer, Bjoern and Östlund, Britt and Peine, Alexander}}, issn = {{1879-193X}}, keywords = {{Aging as object; Enactment; Ethnography; Maintenance; Shadows of care; STS; Temporality}}, language = {{eng}}, publisher = {{Elsevier}}, series = {{Journal of Aging Studies}}, title = {{Aging enacted in practice : How unloved objects thrive in the shadows of care}}, url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/195771475/Fischer_stlundPeine_JournalofAgingStudies_Elsevier_2024_AgingEnactedInPractice.pdf}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.jaging.2024.101266}}, volume = {{71}}, year = {{2024}}, }