| 1. |
- Iversen, Clara, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Barack Obamas dilemma
- 2008
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In: n()n()a()g()e()n()t(). - Uppsala : Uppsala universitet. - 9789150620238 ; , s. 210-224
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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| 2. |
- Iversen, Clara, 1981-
(author)
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Social närhet i en tid av fysisk distans
- 2020
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In: Äldre i centrum. - Stockholm : Stiftelsen Stockholms läns Äldrecentrum. - 1653-3585. ; 34:4, s. 86-89
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Äldre personer har ett behov av att reflektera över sociala relationer som inte längre kan tas för givna med anledning av covid-19-krisen. Stödlinjen Äldrelinjen blir ett forum för diskussioner om hur det går att hitta gemenskap i isoleringen
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| 3. |
- Persson, Marcus, Universitetslektor, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Caregivers' use of robots and their effect on work environment : a scoping review
- 2022
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In: Journal of technology in human services. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1522-8835 .- 1522-8991. ; 40:3, s. 251-277
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite the lively discussion on the pros and cons of using robots in health care, little is still known about how caregivers are affected when robots are introduced in their work environment. The present scoping review fills this research gap by mapping previous studies about the relation between robots in care and caregivers’ working life. The paper is based on searches in four databases for peer-reviewed articles about robots in care settings, published 2000 to 2020. The 27 included papers were examined with the questions of 1) how robots are used by caregivers, and 2) how robots affect caregivers’ work environment. The analysis shows that the use of robots can affect both the physical and the psychosocial work environment, in positive as well as in negative ways. Robots are used in care settings to reduce physical and mental demands of the caregivers, but they can, in fact, increase caregivers’ workload. Thus, the review indicates that robots can improve the quality of work, but that they seldom work as a shortcut to increased efficiency or time effectiveness.
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| 4. |
- Persson, Marcus, et al.
(author)
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Making robots matter in dementia care : Conceptualising the triadic interaction between caregiver, resident and robot animal
- 2024
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In: Sociology of Health and Illness. - : WILEY. - 0141-9889 .- 1467-9566.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While previous research studies have focused on either caregivers' or residents' perception and use of social robots, this article offers an empirical and theoretical examination of joint activities in triadic human-robot interaction. The symptomatology of dementia creates an asymmetrical relation wherein the impetus to employ a robot often originates from the caregiver. Drawing on field work and video recorded interactions in dementia care homes, the article investigates how caregivers draw on embodied resources to involve residents and robot animals in interaction. The analysis demonstrates how caregivers promote commitment and encounter resistance with residents. We draw on the theory of sociomaterial interactionism to study situated interaction between bodies in a meaning-generating process. By re-conceptualising the theoretical notions of manipulation and recruitment, the article offers an approach for studying orientations that distinguish between reciprocity of agential objects. We show that caregivers usually distinguish between interactions with people and machines by anticipating a specific response from the robots (manipulation), while they invite participation in a broader sense from residents (recruitment). Social friction arises, however, if caregivers act upon the residents as embodied objects in manipulative ways.
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| 5. |
- Persson, Marcus, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Robotisering och arbetslivets omorganisering
- 2021
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In: Arbetsmarknad & Arbetsliv. - 1400-9692 .- 2002-343X. ; 27:3, s. 72-78
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Review (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Litteraturen inom området robotar och AI (artificiell intelligens) har formligen exploderat under de senaste åren, vilket har att göra med att robotar har börjat användas på bred front inom allt fler sektorer. Industrisektorn har redan många decenniers erfarenheter av att ersätta mänskliga arbetsmoment med (semi-)automatiserade maskiner. Idag introduceras robotar även i andra sektorer som skola, vård och omsorg. Denna recensionsessä behandlar tre nyutkomna böcker på ämnet, varav två är antologier. Syftet är att diskutera en fråga som genomsyrar dem alla, nämligen robotiseringens betydelse för människors sätt att organisera sitt arbete.
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| 6. |
- Persson, Marcus, 1975-
(author)
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Robotkatter och vita lögner i demensvården
- 2021
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In: Äldre i centrum. - Stockholm. - 1653-3585. ; :3, s. 108-110
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Inom demensvården blir så kallade sociala robotar allt vanligare som hjälpmedel för att dämpa oro och stimulera till samtal. De är designade att efterlikna katter, hundar och andra djur. Kritiska röster anser att användandet av robotar innebär ett bedrägeri, men det finns tydliga gränsdragningsproblem.
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| 7. |
- Persson, Marcus, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Working with Robotic Animals in Dementia Care : The Significance of Caregivers' Competences
- 2023
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In: Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. - : VIA University College. - 2245-0157. ; 13:3, s. 49-69
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Robotic animals are increasingly discussed as a solution to challenges connected to the aging population and limited resources in care. While previous research focuses on the robots’ effect on the patients’ well-being, there is a general lack of knowledge regarding the hands-on experience of caregivers’ use of robots. Therefore, the aim of the study is to explore the competences that caregivers draw upon when facilitating interaction between residents and robots. The study was conducted through ethnographic observations and interviews with caregivers at dementia care homes in Sweden. The notion of ‘competence’ is understood as knowledge about the ways of working and social norms that are valued within a community of practice, which members develop through engagement in the community. The findings show that caregivers’ use of robotic animals as caregiving tools rests on embodied, social, and ethical competences.
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| 8. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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And say the robotic cat responded? : On the use of robotic animals in dementia caree
- 2022
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Among the innovations within health and welfare technology during recent years, robot animals used in dementia care are one of the more debated devices. These robotic cats and dogs, built to respond to sound, movement and touch, are used to calm, activate and entertain users. Concerns have been raised both in scholarly work and in mass media that robots risk dehumanizing care work: if robots replace human beings, patients’ encounters with other humans will be reduced, and the remaining care workers will be turned into robot maintenance staff, rather than doing the care work for which they were hired. In this paper we take a closer look at the ideas of animality that shape the robots and their application in care organizations, and discuss the critique against them. We base this discussion on news articles, marketing materials, and ethnographic work in dementia care that we have conducted in care homes in Sweden. Adopting a posthumanist perspective, we show how the robots’ animality is constructed through the use of culturally rooted conceptions of nonhuman animals. Robotic animals can be seen as materializations of care organizations, as expectations on encounters between patients and caregivers, as well as conceptions of other animals and of basic human needs, are hard-wired into their construction. We also discuss how questions about work environment and human dignity are raised in relation to the implementation of robotic animals. We conclude that while robotic animals may reproduce an anthropocentric understanding of human-animal relations, the manufacturing and consumption of robotic animals can also be seen as a testament of the importance of nonhuman animals in the lives of humans. By asking “And say the animal responded?” Jacques Derrida challenges his readers to take seriously animals’ resistance against humans’ categorizations and metaphorical use of them. Robotic animals are rarely designed to ‘respond’ in Derrida’s sense. “BARKBACK” and “VibraPurr” technology aside, robots are not programmed to imitate disobedient or aggressive behavior that would truly resist humans’ categorizations and preconceptions of pet animals. Nevertheless, there is an other-than-human animality that makes itself felt through the human-robot interaction, and which reinforces some nonhuman animals’ special status in the lives of humans.
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| 9. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Black Cats and White Lies : Human-Robot Interactions in Dementia Care
- 2022
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Robotic animals in the shape of cats, dogs and seals have become increasingly popular in dementia care during the last two decades. These robots are used both to make the user calm and passive and to engage users in interactions. Based on ethnography at four nursing homes and in-depth interviews with caregivers, the present study explores the use of white lies in interactions between robots, care recipients and caregivers. Findings suggest that the robots have the greatest impact on users when they believe the animal robots to be real animals. However, according to The Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics, caregivers should not lead users to believe that the robots have capacities that they do not in fact have, and that caregivers should avoid any misconceptions by giving users information about the nature and functions of the robots. We identify three different strategies that caregivers use when using the robots in care practice. First, caregivers make sure to be fully transparent about the robots, and give users straightforward information about the robots’ limited capacities. Second, caregivers can adhere to users’ own misconceptions about the robots. Third, some caregivers simply tell users with severe dementia that the robots are real, and act as if they wore. All approaches involve challenges: when caregivers tell ‘the truth’, users often forget this information, or choose to ignore it and approach the robots as animals. When caregivers follow or support the idea of the robot ‘as real’, this often leads to amplified misconceptions, potentially disproved by relatives. In conclusion, all three strategies risk nourishing white lies, but a special kind of “caring lie” that many interviewed caregivers support.
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| 10. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Deceptive devices in dementia care : The journal, the camera, and the robot
- 2024
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Caregivers are dissuaded from using deception in dementia care in Swedish policies. However, guidelines in other countries have a more positive approach to deceptive practices when these are used in the best interest of patients. Research also shows that lies and deception are widely used in dementia care. Based on interviews with caregivers and ethnographic visits to nursing homes in Sweden, this paper examines the use of technology in deceptive practices in the care of people with dementia. Three technological devices are in focus: the online patient journal, the security camera, and the robotic animal. The journal allows for a smooth transition of knowledge between caregivers, enabling a person-centered care. However, the patient is often unaware of this circulation of knowledge by which the patient becomes known to everyone without necessarily knowing anyone. The camera makes it possible for caregivers to watch over patients without having to enter their rooms, which means that they do not have to disturb them with unnecessary and inconvenient visits. Paradoxically, the technology thus breaches the patients’ integrity in order to secure it. Last, the robotic animal works particularly well when it is perceived to be a real animal; yet, both policies and previous research caution against using a robot to create an illusion of a living being. The paper argues that to handle these dilemmas, the devices need to be understood in context: deception is not built into healthcare technology but is instead generated in the relationship between caregiver, patient, and technological device.
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| 11. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Robotic animals in dementia care : Conceptions of animality and humanity in care organizations
- 2022
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In: The Oxford Handbook of Animal Organization Studies. - Oxford : Oxford University Press. - 9780192848185 - 9780191943485 ; , s. 409-C27.P103
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Robotic animals in the shape of cats, dogs, and seals are increasingly used in dementia care. The robots are built to respond to users’ touch and talk for various purposes such as calming, activating, or entertaining patients. Drawing on media representations, marketing materials, reports of experts, and interviews with care workers we take a closer look at the ideas of animality that shape the robots and their application in care organizations. We find that the robots’ animality is described as connecting with a fundamental mammal aspect of our humanity. At the same time, concerns are raised that patients risk being dehumanized when robots replace human-to-human interaction, and the robots are thus treated as a threat to patients’ human dignity. The chapter discusses how notions of animality and a biopolitical understanding of the human as mammal play an integral role in robotized care organizations.
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| 12. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Robotic animals in dementia care : Conceptions of animality and humanity in care organizations
- 2023
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In: The Oxford Handbook of Animal Organization Studies. - Oxford : Oxford University Press. - 9780192848185 - 9780191943485 ; , s. 409-424
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Robotic animals in the shape of cats, dogs, and seals are increasingly used in dementia care. The robots are built to respond to users’ touch and talk for various purposes such as calming, activating, or entertaining patients. Drawing on media representations, marketing materials, reports of experts, and interviews with care workers we take a closer look at the ideas of animality that shape the robots and their application in care organizations. We find that the robots’ animality is described as connecting with a fundamental mammal aspect of our humanity. At the same time, concerns are raised that patients risk being dehumanized when robots replace human-to-human interaction, and the robots are thus treated as a threat to patients’ human dignity. The chapter discusses how notions of animality and a biopolitical understanding of the human as mammal play an integral role in robotized care organizations.
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| 13. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Svarta katter och vita lögner : Social robotik i demensvården
- 2022
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In: Välfärd - för vem? Om arbetsvillkor inom omsorg och gig. ; , s. 15-
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Conference paper (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Katt- och hundrobotar har blivit ett allt vanligare inslag i äldreomsorgen. Robotarna imiterar djurs läten och rörelser och kan användas för att lugna och avleda användare. De kan också användas för att aktivera personer genom att de inbjuder till interaktion mellan vårdtagare, vårdgivare och robot. Robotarna är utvecklade för att skapa en illusion av ett levande djur – en del modeller har ett mekaniskt hjärta som kan kännas genom pälsen, och kattrobotarna kan spinna, med purrande och vibrationer. Det här ställer frågor om transparens och ärlighet på sin spets. Enligt Statens medicinsk-etiska råds riktlinjer ska vårdgivare inte vilseleda patienter om robotarnas egenskaper och kapacitet, eftersom det då gör det omöjligt för patienter att göra ett informerat ställningstagande när de erbjuds att använda robotar. I en pågående studie om sociala robotar i demensvården ser vi dock att det är vanligt att vårdgivare talar om och hanterar robotarna som om de vore verkliga katter och hundar. Genom exempel visar vi hur personalen på detta sätt gör robotarna levande, och hur vårdgivare reflekterar kring sitt sätt att använda robotarna. Ofta är det svårt att dra en skarp gräns mellan sanning och lögn, eftersom personalens agerande ofta handlar om att bekräfta vårdtagares upplevelser. Vi föreslår därför alternativa sätt att förstå det som händer i interaktionen mellan vårdtagare, vårdgivare och robot, för att bidra till en nyanserad diskussion om robotik och vita lögner inom demensvården.
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| 14. |
- Iversen, Clara, et al.
(author)
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A person among others? : Older people's understandings of their everyday life during the Covid-19 crisis
- 2021
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In: Sociologisk forskning. - : Sociologisk Forskning, Swedish Sociological Association. - 0038-0342 .- 2002-066X. ; 58:1-2, s. 53-76
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article examines how older people make sense of their situation in calls to a helpline a few months into the Covid-19 pandemic.By drawing on the sociology of everyday life to analyse callers' various understandings of the crisis, the article nuances current knowledge about older people's situation.The thematic analysis shows that the callers make sense of the crisis linked to social relations on a personal, anonymous, and abstract level. The callers' responses to challenges to their everyday routines - adjustment or critical evaluation - are connected to different approaches to trust: basic trust in a shared social reality with someone or regulating trust in a set of norms independent from that other. Whereas the calls demonstrate very few positive adjustments in personal relations, they show that anonymous and abstract relations serve as important resources for both maintaining and re-evaluating everyday life during a crisis.Although older people's lack of secure personal relations during the pandemic points to vulnerability, their resourcefulness is apparent in their active engagement in important anonymous and abstract relations.
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| 15. |
- Iversen, Clara, Docent, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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En människa bland andra? : Äldre människors begripliggörande av vardagen under covid-19-krisen
- 2021
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In: Sociologisk forskning. - Huddinge : Sociologisk Forskning, Swedish Sociological Association. - 0038-0342 .- 2002-066X. ; 58:1-2, s. 53-76
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article examines how older people make sense of their situation in calls to a helpline a few months into the Covid-19 pandemic. By drawing on the sociology of everyday life to analyse callers’ various understandings of the crisis, the article nuances current knowledge about older people’s situation. The thematic analysis shows that the callers make sense of the crisis linked to social relations on a personal, anonymous, and abstract level. The callers’ responses to challenges to their everyday routines – adjustment or critical evaluation – are connected to different approaches to trust: basic trust in a shared social reality with someone or regulating trust in a set of norms independent from that other. Whereas the calls demonstrate very few positive adjustments in personal relations, they show that anonymous and abstract relations serve as important resources for both maintaining and re-evaluating everyday life during a crisis. Although older people’s lack of secure personal relations during the pandemic points to vulnerability, their resourcefulness is apparent in their active engagement in important anonymous and abstract relations.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Iversen, Clara, 1981-, et al.
(author)
-
Social närhet i en tid av fysisk distans
- 2020
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In: Äldre i Centrum. - Stockholm : Stiftelsen Stockholms läns Äldrecentrum. - 1653-3585. ; 34:4, s. 86-89
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Persson, Marcus, et al.
(author)
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Robotic misinformation in dementia care : emotions as sense-making resources in residents' encounters with robot animals
- 2024
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In: Frontiers in Sociology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2297-7775. ; 9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Robot animals, designed to mimic living beings, pose ethical challenges in the context of caring for vulnerable patients, specifically concerning deception. This paper explores how emotions become a resource for dealing with the misinformative nature of robot animals in dementia care homes. Based on observations of encounters between residents, care workers, and robot animals, the study shows how persons with dementia approach the ambiguous robots as either living beings, material artifacts, or something in-between. Grounded in interactionist theory, the research demonstrates that emotions serve as tools in the sense-making process, occurring through interactions with the material object and in collaboration with care workers. The appreciation of social robots does not solely hinge on them being perceived as real or fake animals; persons with dementia may find amusement in "fake" animals and express fear of "real" ones. This observation leads us to argue that there is a gap between guidelines addressing misinformation and robots and the specific context in which the technology is in use. In situations where small talk and play are essential activities, care workers often prioritize responsiveness to residents rather than making sure that the robot's nature is transparent. In these situations, residents' emotional expressions serve not only as crucial resources for their own sense-making but also as valuable indicators for care workers to comprehend how to navigate care situations.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Petersson Troije, Charlotte, 1971-
(author)
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Turning Work Inside Out : Exploring Outdoor Office Work
- 2024
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Why don't we usually work outdoors? While some professions require it, most white-collar workers remain indoors, sedentary, and screen-bound. Yet, the potential benefits of outdoor work on health, well-being, learning, and creativity are significant and underexplored, especially given the demands of today's knowledge-intensive work life. The aim of this thesis is to explore the potential of integrating the outdoors into everyday work life by bringing office work outdoors. To accomplish this, the thesis identifies ways by which the potential of outdoor office work may be enabled, in this case through an interactive research approach. This exploration was conducted through the ‘StickUt Malmö’ interactive research project, the Danish ‘Pop Out!’ project, and an interview study within the project ‘Concepts for the Sustainable Office of the Future’, culminating in four papers and a final discussion. In ‘Outdoor Office Work – An Interactive Research Project Showing the Way Out’ (Paper I) it was shown that a range of work activities could be brought outdoors, both individually and collaboratively, and that outdoor office work (OOW) was associated with experiences of well-being, recovery, autonomy, enhanced cognition, better communication, and social relations, but also with feelings of guilt and illegitimacy. Conditions of importance were found in the physical environment, and in the organizational culture, and not the least concerned managers’ attitudes towards OOW, and to autonomy and trust in general. In ‘Greenspace as Workplace – Benefits, Challenges and Essentialities in the Physical Environment’ (Paper II) insights into key aspects of the physical environment relevant for the experienced benefits and challenges of workers exploring OOW were captured through the themes of Simplicity, Safeness, Comfort and Contact with Nature, whereas Sociality, Well-being, and Functioning stood out as the main experienced benefits, and Digital dependency and Illegitimacy as challenges to overcome. Based on an interview study with white-collar workers practicing OOW on a regular basis, a conceptual framework was developed and presented in ‘Unlocking the Transformative Potential of Outdoor Office Work – A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study’ (Paper III). The categories practicing outdoor office work, challenging the taken-for-granted, enjoying freedom and disconnection, feeling connected and interdependent, promoting health and well-being, enhancing performance, and finally, adding a dimension, make up ‘The Lotus of Outdoor Office Work’; a model visualizing the experienced benefits and challenges of OOW, highlighting the dynamic relationship between the practice of working outdoors on one hand, and how this challenges the system in which white-collar work traditionally takes place, on the other.Through a combined theoretical and case discussion in ‘Critical Interaction – Challenging Dualisms by Bringing Office Work Outdoors’ (Paper IV), the possibilities and circumstances under which an interactive research approach may be critical and contribute to learning and knowledge development in the context of exploring OOW was elaborated upon. It was concluded that an interactive research approach can do so by challenging taken-for-granted dualisms, being critical with support from closeness as well as distance, engaging in both action and reflection, and by encompassing both practical and academic interests and outcomes. In conclusion, exploring OOW is a relevant and sustainable way to enhance work life. However, challenges exist, such as the need for a supportive outdoor environment and an organizational culture that values trust and autonomy. The primary challenge lies in societal norms that separate mind and body, perpetuating the belief that white-collar work is incompatible with physical activity. The exploration of OOW turns ideas about work inside out, revealing that only certain activities are traditionally recognized as ‘work’.
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
- Petersson Troije, Charlotte, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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Unlocking the Transformative Potential of Outdoor Office Work—A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study
- 2024
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In: Challenges. - 2078-1547. ; 15:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- White-collar workers around the world are reconfiguring their ways of working. Some have found their way out, performing office work outdoors, through walk-and-talks, outdoor meetings, or reading sessions. Working outdoors has proved both invigorating and challenging. This qualitative interview study aims to develop a conceptual framework concerning the implications of white-collar workers incorporating the outdoors into their everyday work life. Applying a constructivist grounded theory approach, 27 interviews with a total of 15 participants were systematically analyzed. Findings evolved around the following categories: practicing outdoor office work, challenging the taken-for-granted, enjoying freedom and disconnection, feeling connected and interdependent, promoting health and well-being, enhancing performance, and finally adding a dimension to work. These categories were worked into a conceptual model, building on the dynamic relationship between the practice of working outdoors on one hand, and how this challenges the system in which office work traditionally takes place on the other. Interviews reflected the profound learning process of the employees. Drawing on the concepts of free space and resonance, we demonstrate how performing office work outdoors may unlock a transformative potential by opening up connectedness and interdependence and contribute to a sustainable work life as well as overall sustainable development.
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| 28. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
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A bifocal perspective on the riding school : On Lévinas and equine faces
- 2019
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In: Equine Cultures in Transition. - London : Routledge. - 9781138549593 ; , s. 193-206
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Redmalm’s chapter, “A Bifocal Perspective on the Riding School: On Lévinas and Equine Faces” draws on Emmanuel Lévinas’ ethics to study the ambiguous relationship between horses and leisure riders in riding schools. For Lévinas, ethics begins in the face-to-face relationship. Being bifocal, horses do not “face” humans in an anthropomorphic sense; however, deeply meaningful relationships emerge from the embodied horse-human reciprocity. The encounters at the riding school opens up the possibility of recognizing a Lévinasian “face” in horses in a wide sense of the term, but the prevalent instrumental approach towards horses as learning tools obscures horses’ status as possible ethical others. The riding school thus creates a bifocal view of horses as both partners in embodied emphatic entanglement, and instruments that riders must learn to handle and control. The riding school as such works as an environment where these two opposing versions of the horse are accommodated so that the potential tension between the two perspectives is alleviated. Nevertheless, it is possible to imagine alternative human-horse relationships by focusing on the situations at riding schools where equine faces are allowed to emerge.
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| 29. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
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An animal without an animal within : investigating the identities of pet keeping
- 2013
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- If the human is an animal without an animal within—a creature that has transcended the animal condition—what is a pet? This creature balancing on the border between nature and culture, simultaneously included in and excluded from a human “we”, is the focus of this thesis. The thesis analyzes the discourses and normative frameworks structuring the meaning of pets in people’s lives. By extension, it analyzes how the boundary between “human” and “animal” is produced, negotiated, and challenged in the relationship between pet and owner.Each of this thesis’ four constituent studies focuses on an aspect of personal relationships between humans and pets: pets as figures for philosophical thinking, the dual role of pets as commodities and companions, the grief for lost pets, and the power issues at play in the everyday life of pet and owner. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s genealogical approach, crossbred with Donna Haraway’s material-semiotic perspective, the analysis exposes the powers allowing pets to occupy these various positions.The thesis demonstrates that pets occupy a special position as boundary creatures in the lives of humans, allowing humans to play with and thus reproduce dichotomies inherent to the contemporary Western worldview, such as human/animal, person/nonperson, subject/object, and friend/commodity. However, pets’ conceptual transgressions may also challenge this worldview. On the one hand, pets are bought and sold as commodities, but on the other, they are widely included in the human sphere as friends or family members. This paradoxical position is accentuated in the construction of a more-than-human home, and it is also visible when pets pass away. This thesis argues that pets, these anomalous creatures, may help humans understand that there are no humans or animals within, only relations between them. Based on this argument, this thesis develops a sociological approach for analyzing the production of humanity and animality in relations between humans and other animals.
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| 30. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Bringing one’s self to work and back again : The role of surprises in alternative entrepreneurship
- 2018
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In: European Group of Organization Studies.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With the increasing realization that boundaries are constructed in relation to certain “differences” that make up an organizational “inside” in relation to its “outside”, organizational scholars have intensified their studies of how identities are hosted and managed within organizations. Less known, however, is the wish of organizations to disrupt and destabilize their members’ subjectification to the organization by inviting them to with personally challenging experiences and curated surprises. To explore this type of intentional disruptions, we study a technology company that engages in a number of social issues only loosely connected to their main product, a digital presentation tool. We especially focus on one intervention: a yearly project in which the company’s employees renovate buildings in a community where most are Roma with low socio-economic status.
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| 31. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Bureaucrats vs. Bunnies : The dilemmas of urban wildlife management
- 2023
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Municipal hunters and wildlife managers are entrusted with the task of keeping the urban fauna in balance through preemptive measures, and by culling animals. Based on interviews with hunters, municipal officials, and wildlife rescuers in ten municipalities in Sweden, as well as participant observations during hunts, this study identifies the dilemmas that people face as they engage in wildlife management. In conversations about birds, cats, deer, moose, and lots and lots of rabbits, the interviewees paint a picture of a tension-filled task of managing animals that are not quite wild, but definitely not tame. First, there needs to be a balance between invisibility, to carry through smooth culls, and transparency, to maintain the trust of the community. Second, there is sometimes a clash between efficiency and social acceptability, which means that best practices must sometimes be set aside in favor of more aesthetically appealing methods. Last, knowing when to hold your fire is just as central to urban wildlife management as knowing when to shoot—if not even more so. Therefore, to cull or not to cull is the third dilemma of urban wildlife management.
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Det binäras magi : om den binära kategoriseringens principer och om husdjuret som det antibinäras tankefigur
- 2009
-
In: Det binäras magi. - Linköping : Linköping University Electronic Press. ; , s. 33-37
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Presentationen utforskar binära kategoriseringars logik och möjligheterna till dekonstruktionistiska förhållningssätt till det binära. För att studera detta abstrakta begrepp analyserar jag binariteterna svensk/invandrare, man/kvinna och människa/djur med utgångspunkt i texter av Michael Azar, Judith Butler och Donna Haraway. Genom en jämförelse av dessa tre analyser visar jag att binär kategorisering blir möjlig, trots att de binära begreppen saknar egentligt innehåll, genom ett antal principer – det binäras magi. Utifrån en diskussion om Gadamers syn på satir, baserad på Hegels verkehrt Welt, visar jag avslutningsvis att ett satiriskt soci-alpsykologiskt förhållningssätt genomsyrar Azars, Butlers och Haraways dekonstruktioner av respektive binaritet. Jag framhäver husdjuret som det antibinäras tankefigur och argumenterar för att varje kritik av binära kategoriseringar måste sluta i frågan om vad det mänskliga är.
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| 35. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Discipline and Puppies : Control, Discipline and Biopower in More-than-Human Homes
- 2016
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study draws on interviews with eighteen pet owners to conceptualize how they organize their lives in relation to their pets. I use Foucault’s notion of the bipolar technology of disciplinary power and regulatory biopower in combination with Haraway’s material-semiotics to explore the normative frameworks that structure the relationship between pet and owner and make it meaningful. The analysis shows that the boundaries of the home, the play of power between bodies, and exchanges of love and care are central to producing the pet relationship as inherently meaningful and as an indispensible part of the lives of both pet keepers and pets. While control is present in the owners’ management of the home, the operation of more subtle forms of power can be exposed in the owners’ accounts. A balance between discipline and freedom enables the construction of both human and other identities: pet owners produce their pets’ subjectivity by speaking of them as autonomous persons, while and pets presence in the home also enable their owners’ subjectivity. Pets do not only leave traces in the accounts of their owners, but are co-constituents of their owner’s accounts; in a sense using their owners as linguistic prostheses. I end the article by comparing pet keeping to Foucault’s idea of a lived critique to underline that the power dynamics of pet keeping problematize the often taken-for-granted status of one of sociology’s main objects of study: “the human.”
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| 36. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Discipline and puppies : the powers of pet keeping
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This article analyzes eighteen interviews with pet owners to conceptualize how they organize their lives in relation to their pets. I use Foucault’s concepts of the bipolar technology of disciplinary power and regulatory biopower in combination with Haraway’s material-semiotics to explore the normative frameworks that structure the relationship between pet and owner and make it meaningful. The analysis shows that the boundaries of the home, the play of power between bodies, and exchanges of love and care are central to producing the pet relationship as inherently meaningful and as an indispensible part of the lives of both pet keepers and pets. While pet owners produce their pets’ subjectivity by speaking of them as autonomous persons, pets also enable their owners’ subjectivity. I end the article by comparing pet keeping to Foucault’s notion of a lived critique to underline that the power dynamics of pet keeping problematize the often taken-for-granted status of one of sociology’s main objects of study: “the human".
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| 37. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Discipline and Puppies : The Powers of Pet Keeping
- 2020
-
In: International journal of sociology and social policy. - Bingley : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 0144-333X .- 1758-6720. ; 41:3-4, s. 440-454
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose – This article adopts Foucault’s notion of a bipolar technology of disciplinary power and regulatory biopower to address the tension between discipline and freedom in domestic relationships between human and nonhuman animals commonly referred to as “pets.” In doing so, the article examines the promises and pitfalls of thinking through pet keeping as a form of lived, posthumanist critique.Design/methodology/approach – The argument relies on an interview study with 20 pet owners—most of the interviews conducted in their homes together with their pets—to conceptualize how they organize their lives in relation to their pets.Findings – The analysis shows that the boundaries of the home, the play of power between bodies, and the “conditions of an unconditional love” are central to producing the pet relationship as inherently meaningful and as an indispensable part of the lives of both pet keepers and pets. A balance between discipline and freedom enables the construction of both human and other identities: pet owners produce their pets’ subjectivity by speaking of them as autonomous persons, while pets’ presence in the home also enables their owners’ subjectivity.Social implications – The article critically examines interspecies relationships, which by extension can benefit nonhuman animals. It argues that pet keeping can challenge anthropocentrism and unsustainable consumption lifestyles, but it may also reinforce prevailing biopolitical logics, if it remains maintained within a secluded domestic or cultural sphere.Originality/value – The article draws on original data. While Foucauldian theory has been used to discuss pet keeping, empirical studies of pet keeping that rely on this theoretical framework are scarce.
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| 38. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-
(author)
-
Därför kan icke-våld vara väldigt effektivt : Kritiken bottnar i bristande förståelse av socialpsykologi
- 2024
-
In: VLT. - Västerås. - 1104-0181. ; , s. 14-14
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Sedan Rysslands invasion av Ukraina har opinionen i Sverige svängt snabbt – från enträgen alliansfrihet till ohämmad NATO-längtan. Och även om antalet ansökningar om medlemskap till Svenska Freds ökat har dess (nu före detta) ordförande Agnes Hellström mottagit hot och hat för att ha tagit tydlig ställning emot Sveriges Nato-ansökan, mitt under brinnande krig i Europa.Svenska freds arbetar förebyggande mot krig och vill att konflikter ska lösas utan våld. Den vanliga kritiken mot ickevåldsmetoder är att de är ineffektiva, och att de som tror på dem är naiva. Men så behöver det inte vara: den här typen av kritik bottnar i en bristande socialpsykologisk förståelse för hur grupper fungerar. Med kunskap om styrkan i sociala band kan ickevåld vara ytterst effektivt, och därför har också sociala påtryckningar använts av många aktörer, alltifrån Gandhis ahimsa-rörelse till CIA.
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| 39. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Gränsdjur : Om konsten att balansera på gränsen mellan natur och kultur med människor, hundar, hästar och andra djur
- 2019
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Introduktionstext till Korpo filosofidagar 2019, tema "En gemensam värld: Djur och kultur" Människan och djur är en tematik som genomsyrar filosofin, där idéer om det mänskliga ofta uttrycks i kontrast till natur eller djur. Under Korpo filosofidagar undersöks människans relationer till djur som en öppen fråga: vilka olika innebörder kan djur få i våra liv? Djur finns på olika platser: i våra hem, på laboratorier, i lantbruket, i naturen och på djurparker. Vilka samhälleliga, etiska, politiska och filosofiska frågeställningar väcks i dessa sammanhang?Samtida diskussioner om djuren i kulturen sitter ofta fast i bilder av djur som tidlösa naturvarelser medan människan ses som dynamisk, kulturell och föränderlig. Denna bild har i allt högre grad ifrågasatts i diskussioner om ”det antropocena” och ”det posthumana”, som strävar att ifrågasätta vanemässiga tankesätt och uppdelningar mellan ”djur och människa”, och granskar hur människor och djur skapar praktiker och gemenskaper tillsammans. Under Korpo filosofidagar diskuterade vi denna tematik ur olika synvinklar, med en strävan till att få en klarare bild av djuren i kulturen.
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| 40. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Holy Bonsai Wolves : Chihuahuas and the Paris Hilton Syndrome
- 2019. - 1
-
In: On Dogs. - Kendal, Cumbria : Notting Hill Editions. - 1912559153 ; , s. 147-152
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article examines the reasons for the Chihuahua breed’s popularity in contemporary western society by looking at two sets of data: Chihuahua handbooks and The Simple Life show, starring Paris Hilton and her Chihuahua Tinkerbell. The article argues that the Chihuahua is a holy anomaly: a creature which can be used in myths and rituals to temporarily alleviate the tension-filled binary oppositions and stereotypes inherent in a particular culture, in order to celebrate and reinforce that culture’s categories and social order. The Chihuahua – or the bonsai wolf – transcends two binary oppositions fundamental to contemporary westerners: subject/object and nature/culture. Although the Chihuahua challenges a number of related binary oppositions, it is generally dismissed as a matter for humor, low-brow entertainment or expressions of sentimentality, rendering ritual encounters with Chihuahuas harmless. The article concludes by asking: what would happen if humans actually started listening to what the Chihuahua is telling them?
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Husdjurets genealogi
- 2009
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Hur kan man undersöka relationen mellan människa och djur? Detta är huvudfrågan för presentationen. I relationen mellan människa och djur utmanas dikotomierna kultur/natur, språklig/stum, och samhälls/naturvetenskap, och författaren vill därför, i enighet med samtida forskningsresultat på animal studies-fältet, plädera för en sociologisk problematisering av icke-mänskliga djur. I centrum för diskussionen står språket som genom historien ofta fungerat som en filosofisk vattendelare mellan människa och djur – människor har språk i en särskild bemärkelse, medan djur är utan. Samtidigt tar icke-mänskliga djur plats i ett språkligt samhälle och formar tillsammans med människor detta samhälle. Därför ställer icke-mänskliga djur både poststrukturalistiska och klassiska sociologiska frågor på sin spets. Författaren argumenterar för en dekonstruktionistisk sociologisk studie av husdjursfenomenet som en utmaning av sociologins antropocentrism och en utveckling av det poststrukturalistsiska språkbegreppet. Denna studie är ett planerat fyraårigt avhandlingsprojekt.
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| 43. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-
(author)
-
Håller vi på att förlora förmågan att känna skam? : Skam kan leda till utanförskap
- 2024
-
In: VLT. - Västerås. - 1104-0181. ; , s. 7-7
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Med den senaste tidens hänsynslösa skjutningar och sprängningar, där oskyldiga fallit offer för våldet och angrepp riktats mot anhöriga till gängmedlemmar, verkar det som om vi har nått en ny bottennivå där ingenting är heligt för organiserade kriminella. Därför efterlyser Carin Götblad, polismästare vid Nationella operativa avdelningen, ”en kultur där vi skämdes” i en intervju i DN. Götblad talar om skamlösheten hos ”ett narkotikapåverkat ungdomsgäng” och om vikten att tillrättavisa ”en åttaåring som skriker på biblioteket” – två skilda företeelser som här ses som symtom på ett samhälle på väg åt fel håll. Är det så att vi kollektivt håller på att förlora förmågan att känna skam?
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| 44. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
In-your-face-ethics : phenomenology of the face and social psychological animal studies
- 2011. - 1
-
In: Undisciplined animals. - Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Publishing. - 9781443829519 ; , s. 73-104
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In this essay, I show how nonhuman animals can challenge anthropocentric theoretical reflection by their mere gaze. According to the central social psychological thought figure, humans become the individual beings they are in the eyes of others. What happens when those others are nonhuman animals? Instead I show that many social philosophers focusing on the encounter face-to-face have a peculiar fascination for nonhuman animals; it is as if nonhuman animals quietly call attention to themselves as soon as philosophers begin their meditations. In the essay, I especially focus on Emmanuel Lévinas phenomenology of the face. For Lévninas, the meeting face to face is prior to all other forms of sociality. When another being respond to your existence, you become someone in the very invitation to speak. The invitation to speak entails a responsibility to respond and confirm the existence of the other, and therefore, ethics is intimately intertwined with the process of perceiving a notion of self and the meeting face-to-face. While Lévinas argues that we never can decide in advance who has a face and who has not, and that human beings may be bereaved of their faces, Lévinas is not ready to grant a face to a nonhuman animal. This has raised a discussion whether Lévinas is indeed consistent with his own thinking. I show that Lévinas position in relation to nonhuman animals does not follow from his discussion of the phenomenology of the face, but from the things he associate with the word ‘animal’, and from how he uses it to define the human subject. I suggest that studies of social life cannot define in advance what an ‘other’ is, since the moment where we discover a new face and challenge our notion of ourselves is an integral part of social existence. Since an important aspect of Lévinas face is that it is always prior to the I, then we can never dismiss a possible face in advance. This becomes crucial in relation to nonhuman animals, since they regularly are bereaved of their faces with reference to their animality, even though many people interact face-to-face with nonhuman animals. Consequently, in order not to risk neglecting meaningful interaction, social scientists need an open stance toward possible faces, and they should start by letting nonhuman animals into social science studies in general, and social psychological studies in particular.
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| 45. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-
(author)
-
Kan robotar ljuga för människor?
- 2023
-
In: VLT. - Västerås. - 1104-0181. ; 2023-10-22
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Under det senaste året har användningen av chattrobotar diskuterats flitigt – datorprogram som genererar läsbar, korrekt formulerad text med hjälp av artificiell intelligens. Men den här texten handlar inte om supersmarta AI-robotar som lurar oss att de är människor. Den handlar om små lurviga djurrobotar, styrda av nästan löjligt enkla algoritmer. Inom äldreomsorgen, framför allt inom demensvården, har dessa batteridrivna robotdjur blivit allt vanligare under de senaste åren. Robotarna, som rör sig enligt repetitiva mönster, skäller, jamar och spinner, används för att ge lugn och avkoppling till användaren, och studier har visat att de kan minska blodtryck och stress. De fungerar också som ett hjälpmedel som vårdgivare kan använda för att samtala med användare. Men robotarna har debatterats flitigt – skulle den mänskliga kontakten med omsorgspersonal nu delvis ersättas av robotar?
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| 46. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-
(author)
-
Kommunjägare är medlare mellan människor och vilda djur
- 2023
-
In: VLT. - Västerås. - 1104-0181. ; 2023-08-03
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Visste du att jägare är ute på jakt mitt i stan medan du sover? Kommunjägare skjuter regelbundet djur i tätbebyggda områden, vanligtvis kråkfåglar, duvor, gäss och kaniner, för att minska nedskräpning och störande ljud, stoppa spridningen av parasiter och sjukdomar, och förhindra viltolyckor och skador på egendom. Kommunjägare kan också avliva skadade djur och ”problemdjur” – älgar som förirrat sig ut på motorvägar eller in på skolgårdar, eller rådjur som förstör växter i botaniska trädgårdar.
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| 47. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Liminanimals : Celebrity Chihuahuas, Presidential Pets and Riding School Horses
- 2019
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- n this lecture sociologist David Redmalm will talk about companion animals and their liminal status in human society. He will show how thinking with companion animals can challenge ingrained stereotypical ideas about the distinction between nature and culture, and how this distinction shapes interspecies relationality. To show how "liminanimals" can enable a more nuanced understanding of what we think of as nature and culture, David Redmalm will draw on a number of examples from his own research: Chihuahuas and their symbolic and material role in Western society, the media narrative of Obama family’s dog Bo Obama, and the disciplining of human and equine bodies in riding schools.
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| 48. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Liminanimals : Chihuahuas, Bo the dog and the Scaly Ant-Eater
- 2019
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In this lecture sociologist David Redmalm will talk about pets and their liminal status in human society. He will show how thinking with pets can challenge ingrained stereotypical ideas about the distinction between nature and culture, and how this distinction shapes human and nonhuman lives. To show how pets can enable a more nuanced understanding of what we think of as nature and culture, David Redmalm will draw on a number of examples from his own research: Chihuahuas and their symbolic and material role in Western society, the media narrative of Obama family’s dog Bo Obama, pet cultural expressions of grief for lost pets, and the curious habits of the scaly anteater.
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| 49. |
- Redmalm, David, Docent, 1981-, et al.
(author)
-
Lockdown Fauna : The Beastly Topology of the COVID-19 Pandemic
- 2022
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, photos and news articles began circulating in social media about animals making unexpected appearances in urban areas. Photos were published in news media of dolphins in the canals of Venice, a record number of flamingos in Mumbai, wild boards in Barcelona, and undaunted urban foxes in central London. While some of these stories were proven to be false, such as the Venice dolphins, other stories turned out to be misleading. The animals who allegedly showed up in, returned to or overcrowded certain areas were in fact there all along, but had not gained wider attention until now. Although several of these stories are lacking in credibility, they can be seen as indications of humans’ understanding of themselves and their relations to nature and other animals. As such, they differ from typical romanticizations of a pristine nature untouched by human hand, as the depicted sceneries are human-built environments. Rather than a dream of a pure nature in a distant past, but a future in which humans picture their own downfall. We suggest that lockdown fauna imageries express a happy misanthropy and an optimistic apocalypticism that capture human self-understanding in a society characterized by pandemic and environmental crises.
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| 50. |
- Redmalm, David, 1981-
(author)
-
Meet a can of meat : on Lévinasian ethics and non-human faces
- 2009
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In this paper, I show how nonhuman animals can challenge anthropocentric theoretical reflection only by their gaze. According to the central social psychological thought figure, humans become the individual beings they are in the eyes of others. What happens when those others are nonhuman animals? Instead I show that many social philosophers focusing on the encounter face-to-face have a peculiar fascination for nonhuman animals; it is as if nonhuman animals quietly call attention to themselves as soon as philosophers begin their meditations. In the paper, I especially focus on Emmanuel Lévinas phenomenology of the face. For Lévninas, the meeting face to face is prior to all other forms of sociality. When another being respond to your existence, you become someone in the very invitation to speak. The invitation to speak entails a responsibility to respond and confirm the existence of the other, and therefore, ethics is intimately intertwined with the process of perceiving a notion of self and the meeting face-to-face. While Lévinas argues that we never can decide in advance who has a face and who has not, and that human beings may be bereaved of their faces, Lévinas is not ready to grant a face to a nonhuman animal. This has raised a discussion whether Lévinas is indeed consistent with his own thinking. I show that Lévinas position in relation to nonhuman animals does not follow from his discussion of the phenomenology of the face, but from the things he associate with the word ‘animal’, and from how he uses it to define the human subject. I suggest that studies of social life cannot define in advance what an ‘other’ is, since the moment where we discover a new face and challenge our notion of ourselves is an integral part of social existence. Since an important aspect of Lévinas face is that it is always prior to the I, then we can never dismiss a possible face in advance. This becomes crucial in relation to nonhuman animals, since they regularly are bereaved of their faces with reference to their animality, even though many people interact face-to-face with nonhuman animals. Consequently, in order not to risk neglecting meaningful interaction, social scientists need an open stance toward possible faces, and they should start by letting nonhuman animals into social science studies in general, and social psychological studies in particular.
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