On_Culture: The Open Journal for the Study of Culture 17 (2024)

Dear colleagues,

we are very excited to announce the publication of OnCulture's 17th issue entitled “Trash: Cycles of the ImMaterial.” This issue examines the cyclic nature of trash and waste as a pervasive cultural and social concept.

The Articles in this issue delve into the cultural implications of waste and trash from diverse perspectives. Taisuke L. Wakabayashi examines the disposal of transuranic waste to introduce the concept of entrustment, while Tenno Teidearu explores domestic strategies for the reusing and repurposing of packaging to illustrate the potential of trash as a valuable resource. By examining the racialized history of waste management in the southern United States, Christopher Lang and Breanna Byrd reveal the intersections between waste and social injustice. In a similar vein, Sanchita Khurana illustrates how urban beautification initiatives in India can perpetuate inequalities against marginalized communities. Lastly, Matthew Childs draws on rubbish theory to examine processes of discarding traditional ways of life during the rise of industrial capitalist conditions as depicted in a late 19th-century German novel.

In the Essay contribution to this issue, Laura Moisi guides the reader through literature concerned with the affective and cultural legacies embedded within domestic disposal architectures.

Four Perspectives complement the issue, beginning with Siyu Li's exploration of the Penicillium family as a case study that delves into the interplay between life and the environment through a fictional ethnographic lens. Next, the potential for transforming our relationship with trash is considered through a performative reflection on trash as a transcendent means of communication by Kilian Jörg. Another perspective by Paul Kaletsch treats 'epistemic garbage' in the university system as a shared challenge rather than an individual shortcoming. Finally, Polly Bodgener's perspective highlights the urgency of extinction and obsolescence in the context of climate change through an examination of contemporary installation art.

Read the entire issue here: www.on-culture.org/journal/issue-17/

With best wishes,

The Editorial Team