In what way is care a matter of tinkering? Rather than presenting care as a (preferably warm) relation between human beings, the various contributions to the volume give the material world (usually cast as cold) a prominent place in their analysis. Thus, this book does not continue to oppose care and technology, but contributes to rethinking both in such a way that they can be analyzed together. Technology is not cast as a functional tool, easy to control—it is shifting, changing, surprising, and adaptable: in care practices all things are (and have to be) tinkered with persistently.
Annemarie Mol is Socrates Professor for Social Theory, Humanism and Materialities in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology of the University of Amsterdam. Ingunn Moser is Professor of Sociology and Dean of the Department of Nursing of Diakonhjemmet University College in Oslo. Jeannette Pols is Senior Researcher in the Medical Ethics section of the Department of General Practice of the University of Amsterdam.