The Material Culture of Failure: When Things Do Wrong

✍ Scribed by Jeevendrampillai, David(Editor);Parkhurst, Aaron(Editor);Carroll, Timothy(Editor);Shackelford, Julie(Editor)

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2017
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 233
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

What happens when objects behave unexpectedly or fail to do what they 'should'? Who defines failure? Is failure always bad? Rather than viewing concepts such as failure, incoherence or incompetence as antithetical to social life, this innovative new book examines the unexpected and surprising ways in which failure can lead to positive and creative results.

Combining both theoretical and ethnographic approaches to failure,When Things Do Wrongexplores how failure manifests itself and operates in a variety of contexts. The editors present ten ethnographic encounters of failure – from areas as diverse as design, textiles, religion, beauty, and physical failure – covering Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and the Arabian Gulf. Identifying common themes such as interpersonal, national and religious articulations of power and identity, the book shows some of the underlying assumptions that are revealed when materials fail, designs crumble, or things develop unexpectedly.

The first anthropological study dedicated to theorizing failure, this innovative collection offers fresh insights based on the latest scholarship. Destined to stimulate a new area of research, the book makes a vital contribution to material culture studies and related social science theory.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Half Title......Page 2
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Figures......Page 8
Contributors......Page 10
Fore word: Failure and fragility: Towards a material culture of the end of the world as we knew it......Page 13
Acknowledgements......Page 17
1 Introduction: Towards a general theory of failure......Page 18
Material failure and the materiality of failure......Page 22
Failure is NOT incommensurability......Page 24
Failure is NOT alterity......Page 26
What failure is......Page 27
Failure is a moral accusation......Page 31
Failure is a moment of time......Page 32
Failure is a category error......Page 33
The order of discussion......Page 34
References......Page 35
2 Miracles and crushed dreams: Material disillusions in the design industry......Page 38
Changes in material engagements......Page 40
From alchemy and craft to design......Page 42
Expectations on materials......Page 43
Knowing materials in design today......Page 44
Experimenting as way to knowing......Page 45
Constructive failures......Page 49
The role of imagination in innovation......Page 51
References......Page 53
Introduction......Page 56
The visual and material aesthetics of darshan......Page 58
Behind the altar curtain......Page 61
The failed garments......Page 62
The gopa dress......Page 63
The kimono dress......Page 65
Conclusion: (in)efficacy and the emergence of success and failure......Page 70
References......Page 71
Introduction......Page 74
Anthropology of the body and failure......Page 75
Skin and inheritance......Page 77
Identity in a bottle......Page 80
The dishdash and the abaya......Page 83
Being white, becoming whiter......Page 84
Conclusion......Page 88
References......Page 89
5 Holy water, healing and the sacredness of knowledge......Page 92
Healing: a matter of redemption......Page 94
Going to ts’ebel: merging clinical treatment with Orthodox spiritual therapy......Page 99
Materializing spiritual intercession......Page 103
Learning and living in failure......Page 106
References......Page 108
Introduction......Page 112
Health and bodily care at the ‘hard to reach’ margins of the state......Page 113
Rescuing, recovering and returning bodies......Page 115
Acknowledgements......Page 126
References......Page 127
7 Failure as constructive participation? Being stupid in the suburbs......Page 130
The ASP......Page 132
The Seething Villagers......Page 135
Context and failed performativity......Page 137
The productive aspect of ASP’s silent map......Page 142
Conclusions......Page 145
References......Page 147
8 Destruction of locality: On heritage and failure in ‘crisis Syria’......Page 150
Heritage, performativity and Syrianness......Page 152
‘Suriyyah bakheer’ (Syria is fine)......Page 156
‘Ahrar Tadmor’ (free Palmyra)......Page 162
Thinking through failure......Page 166
Conclusion......Page 169
Acknowledgements......Page 170
References......Page 171
9 Axis of incoherence: Engagement and failure between two material regimes of Christianity......Page 174
The Orthodox temple......Page 175
Vesting the temple......Page 176
Sensible coherence......Page 181
Axis of incoherence......Page 185
References......Page 191
Absent silence......Page 194
Aural materiality......Page 195
First moment of silence......Page 200
Assembling silence......Page 202
Second moment of silence......Page 205
Conclusion......Page 207
Acknowledgements......Page 208
References......Page 209
Afterword Failure......Page 214
References......Page 223
Index......Page 226