Repair is care? - Dimensions of care within collaborative practices in repair cafes

Abstract

In the past few years, policymakers, funders and academics have shown an increasing interest in discussing the potentials of Repair Cafes to contribute towards sustainability transformations. With the growing number of repair cafes in the global north, the ways of telling about their potential for individuals and society has grown. Some of the narratives readily connect to policy agendas for neighborhood regeneration and inclusive innovation. Other narratives derive from civic activism, expressing that repairing objects is one way to develop a countermovement against the increasing throwaway society. The proposed paper draws on feminist theories of care and care-economy, science and technology studies and sociological theories of sustainable consumption in order to provide insights as to whether and to what extent caring can be ascribed importance in the collective processes of repair. Based on empirical data from citizen science research, the dimensions of care are analyzed and their role in repairing among the participants in repair cafes is exemplified. The proposed paper will elaborate the empirical findings and relate them to a broader debate on social transformation towards sustainable consumption.