Friday, August 25, 2023 – 6:00 pm

Dialogue between sociologist Jérôme Denis and philosopher Jeanne Guien

While the humanities and social sciences are now turning their attention to non-human beings and calling for care for the living, they seem to be neglecting “things”, whose central place in our lives was chronicled by novelist Georges Perec already in 1965. But why should caring for living beings mean disregarding objects and those who care for them?  Are we even capable of describing the relationship between humans and things? Sociologists Jérôme Denis and David Pontille focus on maintenance activities and the all-too-frequently overlooked people performing them. Jérôme Denis will discuss the ethical issues and political implications of this delicate art of making things last, with Jeanne Guien, a specialist in obsolescence and the history of consumer society. At a time of hyper-productivism and innovation race, they will tell us how this “care for things” can create a new relationship with time and the world.

Moderator: Julie Clarini, editor-in-chief of L’Obs’s Idées department

An exciting program – to be discovered here – with contributions from Vinciane Despret, Isabelle Stengers, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Donna Haraway…