In what way is "care" a matter of "tinkering"? Rather than presenting care as a (preferably "warm") relation between human beings, the various contributions to the volume give the material world (usually cast as "cold") a prominent place in their analysis. Thus, this book does not continue to oppose care and technology, but contributes to rethinking both in such a way that they can be analysed together. Technology is not cast as a functional tool, easy to control - it is shifting, changing, surprising and adaptable. In care practices all "things" are (and have to be) tinkered with persistently. Knowledge is fluid, too. Rather than a set of general rules, the knowledges (in the plural) relevant to care practices are as adaptable and in need of adaptation as the technologies, the bodies, the people, and the daily lives involved. "A book that [...] entered into the debate at exactly the right moment." Christoph Schneider/Bettina-Johanna Krings, Technikfolgenabschatzung - Theorie und Praxis [German scientific journal on technical assessment], 21/1 (2012) "An interesting read not only for professionals but also for those affected and those critically questioning current care practices." Sabine Plonz, DAS ARGUMENT [German bimonthly academic journal for philosophy and social sciences], 292 (2011) "This book can be considered as an important contribution in the research of care in practice. It moves beyond theories of care by choosing practices as starting point to evaluate and improve theoretical insights. This approach is able to present new and surprising insights and for that it is valuable for every qualitative researcher in care practices." Elleke Landeweer, Medicine, Health Care & Philosophy, 3 (2011) "This book illustrates an inspiring path towards the questions how care produces or creates its objects, bodies, patients and carers; and how care incorporates knowledge and technologies." Tom Bieling, http://designabilities.wordpress.com, 16.09.2010 Reviewed in: Medicine, Health Care & Philosophy, 3 (2011), Elleke Landeweer
Care in Practice: On Tinkering in Clinics, Homes and Farms