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Aging enacted in practice : How unloved objects thrive in the shadows of care

Fischer, Bjoern LU orcid ; Östlund, Britt LU and Peine, Alexander (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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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}},
}