Date of Award
5-2019
Document Type
Thesis open access
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Tahir Naqvi
Second Advisor
Sarah Beth Kaufman
Abstract
International regulations have sought to curb illicit flows of electronic waste (e-waste) from Global North countries to Global South countries. At the same time, they provide a means for certified recyclers to imagine themselves as moral entrepreneurs with coherent industrial practices. Making the most value from discarded machines, however, is a process that requires careful attention to the indeterminate materiality of their supply. Used machines’ materiality is made indeterminate by the unpredictable amount of human wear on each machine. What this entails for the recycler is a process in negotiation with these unique conditions. Based on fieldwork and interviews with Euroamerican recyclers, brokers, auditors, and regulations staff, this thesis studies the moment a certified recycler decides how to process a discarded machine. It argues that the materiality of used electronics guides the production of ethical meanings and economic value.
Recommended Citation
Paniagua, Michael A. Jr., "Virtuous Disassembly: Material and Ethical Practice of a Global Electronic Waste Regime" (2019). Sociology and Anthropology Honors Theses. 10.
https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/socanthro_honors/10
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License