The Role of Incidental Objects in ‘Making Things Work’: An Example from Assisted Living Facilities for Young Adults
This article studies material practices in assisted living facilities (ALF) for young adults, building on empirical data from fieldwork and on analytical resources from the research field of science and technology studies (STS). For the analysis, we made use of the notions of ‘fit’ and ‘misfit’ to z...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stockholm University Press
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/953 |
| _version_ | 1797382749420519424 |
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| author | Kristina Hoydal Hilde Thygesen |
| author_facet | Kristina Hoydal Hilde Thygesen |
| author_sort | Kristina Hoydal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article studies material practices in assisted living facilities (ALF) for young adults, building on empirical data from fieldwork and on analytical resources from the research field of science and technology studies (STS). For the analysis, we made use of the notions of ‘fit’ and ‘misfit’ to zoom in on and illuminate the complexity of service provision at ALFs and of the materialities involved. The article mainly focuses on trivial and easily overlooked objects, which we name ‘incidental objects’, and how these are mobilized in order to ‘make things work’ in the intersection of residents, carers, and their material surroundings in everyday life. Our analysis revealed that incidental objects are key components in the process of handling situations involving misfits, and hence in enabling participation, flexibility, and agility in everyday life. Moreover, it unveiled that the incidental objects have important common characteristics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:10:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6410feb8b6c4732b994c27b8d78dd31 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1745-3011 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:10:57Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Stockholm University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6410feb8b6c4732b994c27b8d78dd312023-12-22T06:42:50ZengStockholm University PressScandinavian Journal of Disability Research1745-30112023-11-01251350–362350–36210.16993/sjdr.953244The Role of Incidental Objects in ‘Making Things Work’: An Example from Assisted Living Facilities for Young AdultsKristina Hoydal0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3104-8926Hilde Thygesen1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5942-0662VID Specialized University, Faculty of Health Studies and Centre of Diakonia and Professional PracticeUniversity of South-Eastern Norway, Centre for Health and Technology, Faculty for Health and Social Science; Oslo Metropolitan University, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology, Faculty of Health SciencesThis article studies material practices in assisted living facilities (ALF) for young adults, building on empirical data from fieldwork and on analytical resources from the research field of science and technology studies (STS). For the analysis, we made use of the notions of ‘fit’ and ‘misfit’ to zoom in on and illuminate the complexity of service provision at ALFs and of the materialities involved. The article mainly focuses on trivial and easily overlooked objects, which we name ‘incidental objects’, and how these are mobilized in order to ‘make things work’ in the intersection of residents, carers, and their material surroundings in everyday life. Our analysis revealed that incidental objects are key components in the process of handling situations involving misfits, and hence in enabling participation, flexibility, and agility in everyday life. Moreover, it unveiled that the incidental objects have important common characteristics.https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/953incidental objectsdisabilityfit/misfittinkeringmaterialityassisted living facilities |
| spellingShingle | Kristina Hoydal Hilde Thygesen The Role of Incidental Objects in ‘Making Things Work’: An Example from Assisted Living Facilities for Young Adults Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research incidental objects disability fit/misfit tinkering materiality assisted living facilities |
| title | The Role of Incidental Objects in ‘Making Things Work’: An Example from Assisted Living Facilities for Young Adults |
| title_full | The Role of Incidental Objects in ‘Making Things Work’: An Example from Assisted Living Facilities for Young Adults |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Incidental Objects in ‘Making Things Work’: An Example from Assisted Living Facilities for Young Adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Incidental Objects in ‘Making Things Work’: An Example from Assisted Living Facilities for Young Adults |
| title_short | The Role of Incidental Objects in ‘Making Things Work’: An Example from Assisted Living Facilities for Young Adults |
| title_sort | role of incidental objects in making things work an example from assisted living facilities for young adults |
| topic | incidental objects disability fit/misfit tinkering materiality assisted living facilities |
| url | https://account.sjdr.se/index.php/su-j-sjdr/article/view/953 |
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