"To Repair is to Care": A Feminist Perspective on Ceramic Restoration and an Ethics of Dependence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/4f1pw735Keywords:
Care Ethics, Ceramic Restoration, Feminist Materialism, Ethics of Dependence, Kintsugi, Material Culture, VulnerabilityAbstract
There is no investigation of ethics for ceramic restorations at this point in feminism's study. However, in terms of those who are responsible for restoring broken things, attending to one's material life, making decisions about keeping or discarding what one has... These have structural parallels with the caregiving activities that feminist ethics has been studying over nearly a quarter century. From the perspective of care ethics and feminist materialism, this article argues that ceramic restorations are indeed instances of ethical activities with broader theoretical implications beyond object conservation alone. Based on GILLIGAN'S care ethics, KITTAY' s ethic of dependability, BUTLER'S account of vulnerability, BARAD'S feminist materialism, AND UNESCO cultural heritage documentation, This article explores how restoration Practices expose the work of caring; Perform an ethical dimension of Dependence Among People And Things; And present A Material Critique Of Perfectionist Standards And Discard Norms In Contemporary Culture. The Japanese practice of kintsugi can serve as a model case for repair as both an aesthetic principle and moral stance.
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