Henke1999
| Henke1999 | |
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| BibType | ARTICLE |
| Key | Henke1999 |
| Author(s) | Christopher R. Henke |
| Title | The Mechanics of Workplace Order: Toward a Sociology of Repair |
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| Tag(s) | EMCA, Repair, Social Order, Workplace, Materiality |
| Publisher | |
| Year | 1999 |
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| Journal | Berkeley Journal of Sociology |
| Volume | 44 |
| Number | |
| Pages | 55–81 |
| URL | Link |
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Abstract
This paper expands and elaborates the concept of repair first developed in ethnomethodology and conversation analysis to understand the connections between social and material forms of order in the workplace. This "sociology of repair" revolves around a simple premise: when people do work, they are moving through, relying on, and modifying networks of people, ideas, and material artifacts. It is the smooth negotiation of these networks that allows workers to do their jobs—forming the basis of what might be called workplace social order. Repair work is an embedded feature of these work settings and is essential for the maintenance of workplace order. To develop a sociology of repair, I draw upon my fieidwork with a group of six physical plant building mechanics, specifying three characteristics of repair work: the networked body, improvisation, and invisibility. I conclude the paper by discussing the applicability of repair theory to more general studies of social order.
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