Devaluation and society are closely entangled – my chapter contribution to the Routledge International Handbook of Valuation and Society.

This new volume is the result of our valuation studies group, but in a way the book also feels like a tribute to the late Hilmar Schäfer.

#waste #sociology #sts

This is a screenshot from my chapter contribution, with a focus on the conclusion. Valuations deeply affect how wasting is practiced and how wasting practices shape society. &10;Through their emphasis on the productive nature of destructive action, the studies gathered &10;here demonstrate that devaluation and society are closely entangled. In this chapter, I have &10;discussed a selection of concepts circulating in waste scholarship. I have highlighted the &10;notion ‘matter out of place’ as a key concept of the field, though a tricky one, which emphasizes that waste is a powerful by-product of social ordering processes; yet, it also offers potential for change. Plus, ‘indeterminacy’ has been introduced as an essential term of waste &10;scholarship. It emphasizes the many ways in which things can have value ascribed to them &10;and shows how an ambiguous status of materials influences the constitution of value. These &10;contributions of waste scholarship highlight how societies are affected through wasting practices and relations.