In our recent readings, we have discussed the relevance of culture on cleaning practices. For example, in previous weeks, we discussed how different religions and cultures have a long past of practices, legend, and history with cleaning– that led to different practices with self-cleaning and home-cleaning. Similar to this practice of cleaning, a question should […]
Is shit learned disgust or programmed disgust? Read More »
In this week’s readings, we dove into the concept of hoarding. Hoarding is not something I often thought about unless I was actively watching TLC’s Hoarders show. The initial feelings I get from watching this show are usually of disgust and/or shock. It is important to recognize why we feel the way we do and
How Society shapes our view on hoarding Read More »
The readings for this week have made me reflect a lot on the lens through which I view so called “waste” and the societal forces that shape these impressions that I have. One of the main things that has stuck with me from the readings on ‘hoarding’ was how loosely defined it was, while also
Where is the Line Drawn? Read More »
Before learning and reading about hoarding, I never really thought much about my cleaning and organizing process. I simply thought in black and white: some people are clean while others tend to be more messy. However, I have now come to realize that our relationship with objects is much more complex. Whether it’s a cluttered
Why We Hoard, Why we clean, And what it says about us Read More »
Before starting this course, I never knew about the existence of the field of “discard studies.” These first few sets of readings for the course have been very interesting for me because they have made me aware of how important and interdisciplinary this field is: the abundance of in-depth research and fieldwork conducted in this
Personal Reflection on Cleaning Read More »
Hoarding and cleaning can be considered as two extremes that can influence both our living spaces and mental health. Hoarding is generally linked with emotional attachment, anxiety, or the mindset of possibly ‘needing it later’. As you may already know, it’s quite easy to justify keeping old clothes (even if sometimes you know you won’t
Decluttering for a clearer mind: A personal reflection. Read More »
Though germ theory is often seen as a revolutionary turn towards modern medicine and more modern day practices in medicine, it was also a significant figure in modern overconsumption. While many cleaning practices were evolving to modern machinery, such as using a washing machine instead of a washing board, this allowed for more free time
germ theory’s contributions to modern overconsumption Read More »
The dichotomy between this week’s two topics was a fascinating insight into the common habits and disorders related to people’s personal space, which fascinatingly enough, translate into important societal implications and have even highlighted some of the issues of socioeconomic class and gender that we are still feeling the effects of today. To focus my
modern implications of cleaning history Read More »
Questions for this week: If waste is at least somewhat akin to dirt, what can we learn about the practices that seek to remove it? How much of the study of cleaning practices is transferable to waste, or are there aspects of waste that don’t neatly fit into cleaning practices? If cleaning and removing are
Cleaning and Hoarding Read More »