Repair: The Impulse to Restore in a Fragile World

by Elizabeth V. Spelman

The Impulse to Restore in a Fragile World Like Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses, an exploration of a powerful but often overlooked aspect of the human our ability and instinct to fix things From clothing that develops holes from long use to fraying relationships, we seem constantly to be repairing in a breakable world.

We fix things around us all the time, without giving it much thought. But looking hard at this work makes us ask why we do it and what we're trying to achieve. When does restoration destroy the value of an object? Who in your
house is more likely to fix the faucet? The relationship? When shouldn't you accept someone's apology? From fixing cars and restoring motorcycles, to women as the menders in our lives, to restorative justice as a way to heal
societies fractured by civil war, Spelman guides us across a fascinating terrain that is both highly personal and common to us all.

Repair illuminates a familiar yet mysterious instinct, and makes us see that our work as Homo reparans is vital, creative, and above all underappreciated.

Elizabeth Spelman is professor of philosophy at Smith College and author of Inessential Woman (Beacon / 6745-8 / $17.00) and Fruits of Sorrow Beacon / 1421-4 / $14.00). She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

165 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this book because I remembered it as a model of lively, thoughtful, academic writing that students from a wide range of interests and backgrounds might be able to make use of. In short, I recalled it as a useful sort of book to use in a first-year academic writing class.

I was right! I think I liked this book even more on a second reading. Spelman uses the generative concept of repair to look at issues in mechanics, history, art and art restoration, psychology, justice, and more. I plan to assign the book to my writing students in Fall 2016.

[Quin Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting. A fairly non-academic, sustained, and thoughtful treatment of repair discourse in a few different domains. Spelman uses the trope of H. Reparens (like Homo Sapiens)to discuss the myriad forms of repair work that humans undertake. She address physical, emotional, psychic, civil, societal, and historical repair. It's a generative read, but not exactly groundbreaking. Pleasant, thought-provoking, and short. Take it for what it's worth. The chapter on restorative justice, however, was off-key; I tend to side more with the "you can't be neutral on a moving train" crowd, and she doesn't really address power relations at all. Like I said, take it with a grain of salt.

[Bryan Kibbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deeply interesting book about an under explored aspect of human action, namely the act of repair. Of special import is Spelman's attunement to the different kinds of repair, which she illustrates vividly through portraits of different repair persons. Having laid down some basic distinctions, Spelman goes on to consider the possible range and import of the concept and practice of repair in human thought and behavior. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to a wide audience.

[Janet Aird · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a friend gave me this book, my first thought was, "What a strange subject." As I started reading, though, it became more and more interesting. The author takes us through the repair of tangible items to subjects that had never occurred to me were on the same plane: repair (reparations) that are required after a war or when someone breaks a law or even hurts a friend's feelings; repair as a moral issue. A very intriguing book.

[kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this book was regrettably short and just scratched the surface of something very important, and (to my knowledge) overlooked in social sciences and humanities. But it left me with enough thoughts and doubts to mull over in weeks, if not months; in a way, it was truly eye-opening.

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in a position to be learning backwards from trendy scholarly interest in maintenance over the past couple of years, which led me to this book. Recommend that anyone else new to this area read this before using "repair," "restorative," or "ethics of care" as keywords - know what you're saying!

[Lyn Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful, deep exploration of the topic of repair. Attention to theory and examples of times when repair is not the best option.

[Laura Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Priest Sims for helping restore my relationship when I thought all hope was lost. His guidance and spiritual work truly brought us back together, and I’m beyond grateful. If you're going through a tough time in your love life, I highly recommend reaching out to him—you won’t regret it! reach out out to Priest Sims—: ( supremacylovespell01 @ gmail. com )

[Kit Shum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the assigned reading for a class I attended. I have to say that it has been a very long time since I enjoyed reading non-fiction - the couple of examples that I can still remember being The Silent Spring, and Chance and Necessity by Jacques Monod. Also, this was the one book that I felt the urge to scribble through out the pages as I read.
It started off with the tinkering mechanic, and touched upon the legal/moral perspective of punitive versus restorative justice, and even man's preoccupation with ruins. For myself, it also expanded my awareness of James Baldwin, an author I had a peripheral interest in while browsing in the local library in my teens.
I would even recommend this for high school readers.