Benedict E. Singleton (Ed.)
BOOK DESCRIPTION
All That Glitters Is Not Garbage presents a range of cases unified by the application of Rubbish Theory to explore the social processes through which objects come to be valued, preserved and discarded. Chapters discuss the production of art, the disposition of the possessions of the deceased and efforts to institute a Circular Economy. Other chapters address issues and topics beyond the solid objects that many in the Global North associate with Rubbish, from Chinese mining parks to Indigenous community tourism, from the history of Faroese wool to the legal personhood of nature and more. This book highlights how ordering processes around objects link to social organisation and conflict. Playful, creative and critical, it highlights the Rubbish Theory’s value as a provocative, insightful tool for thinking about numerous social scientific topics.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“The symbolic distinction between what is valued and non-valued constitutes a powerful social, political, and historical force. … All That Glitters Is Not Garbage brings with it a positive message that there is always hope for the discarded.” – Magnus Boström, Örebro University
“This volume embodies a refreshingly open and curious approach to understanding the infrastructures—and inertias and inconstancies—of power and cultural, economic and social capital. It offers both roadmaps for the beginner and critical interventions on social hierarchy and conflict. … Both playful in spirit and quite serious on questions of comparative value and power, it reminds us, humbly but powerfully, that people not only can, but will, change the ordering systems that now dominate us with such apparent irreversibility.” – Laurie Kain Hart, University of California, Los Angeles
“I am fascinated by the depth of quality research and critical thought invested by authors in their analysis of Rubbish Theory. Readers from diverse disciplines, especially students of consumerism, sociology, climate change and sustainability scholarship in general, will find the book most relevant. I highly recommend it.” – Ikechukwu Umejesi, University of Fort Hare
Benedict E. Singleton is an associate professor at the Social and Psychological Studies, Karlstad University.
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