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The Value of Things

The value of things: Laurie Taylor explores our attachment to objects in a disposable world.

The value of things: At a time when many of us are sorting through Christmas presents, both wanted and unwanted, Laurie Taylor explores the value of attachment in a disposable world. Christine Harold, Professor of Communication at the University of Washington, asks why we hang on to certain objects and discard others. How might our emotional investment in things be harnessed to create less wasteful practices? Also, clutter in our homes, from the meaningless to the meaningful. Sophie Woodward, Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester, challenges the moralistic view of clutter, one which sees it as a sign of individual failure to organise one鈥檚 domestic life. Instead, she argues, it is central to the ways we negotiate and manage our intimate relationships.

Producer: Jayne Egerton

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28 minutes

Last on

Mon 3 Jan 2022 00:15

Guests and Further Reading

Things Worth Keeping: The Value of Attachment in a Disposable World (University of Minnesota Press)



Broadcasts

  • Wed 29 Dec 2021 16:00
  • Mon 3 Jan 2022 00:15

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麻豆社 Thinking Allowed is produced in partnership with The Open University

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