Turning Attention to the Afterlives of Knowledge Infrastructures

Abstract

Once a large-scale infrastructure such as a railroad, sewage system or power plant is put into place, it not only tends to enjoy a long life, but often also a forceful afterlife. Abandoned railroads may find new uses, while ruined sewage systems or power plants tend to have toxic legacies that continue to make people sick. When infrastructures cease or fail to provide the functions for which they were originally intended, they do not cease to interact with and alter their environments. Rather, they remain as lively remnants that continue to order relations and exert influence (Appel et al. 2018; Barry 2020; Sizek 2021).