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Informed by previous studies that employ Actor Network-Theory (ANT), this article discusses electronic waste (e-waste) as fluid objects. The concept of ‘fluidity’ or ‘fluid’ includes an object’s ability to flow and thereby change shape, and therefore obstructs any attempt to explain e-waste in terms of a single state of being. Traditionally, fluidity has been used as a means to capture the changing characters of objects while they are being used. Elaborating on the notion of fluidity or the fluid in relation to e-waste serves both to expand previous understandings of fluidity to also encompass the status of objects as they are discarded, and to challenge traditional understandings of e-waste as the end point in the object’s lifecycle.

This article focuses on the relationship between the members of a local fire brigade in Sweden and their tools, as well as the organisational dynamics that forge this relation. Drawing on the work of Karen Barad [2007. Meeting the universe halfway. Quantum physics and the entanglement of matter and meaning. Durham: Duke University Press], and particularly her notion of intra-action, the intention is to unpick the strong material and symbolic relationship between men, masculinity and tools seen in this profession. While Barad’s work has been useful within feminist theories, few attempts have been made to investigate how her work can benefit critical studies of men and masculinities, one exception being Ulf Mellström [2016. From a hegemonic politics of masculinity to an ontological politics of intimacy and vulnerability? Ways of imagining through Karen Barad's work. Rhizomes, 30. Retrieved from http://www.rhizomes.net/issue30/mellstrom.html] who explores how intimacy may be productive in developing more nuanced understandings of masculinities. Inspired by this approach, this article explores how using Barad’s notion of intra-action as an analytical tool can facilitate a deeper exploration of men’s intimate relationships with technologies. The intra-action between the members of the local fire brigade and their firefighting tools is not a one-off encounter, but takes place continuously. Hence, while a tool – in a specific situation – becomes an integral part of the body and the identity of a group of people, it requires constant maintenance in order to accomplish successful fire extinctions.

In this introduction we provide an overview of research on gender issues in the rescue services in combination with introducing the different contributions in this book. The overview is primarily concerned with three national contexts, the US, the UK and Sweden, and we focus on the most prevalent themes in the literature as well as pointing out under-researched areas. The empirical contributions in this volume draw on empirical work from Sweden, the UK and Denmark.

This article offers a speculative reading on the linkage between Swedish popular media representations of digital technologies and peoples’ stockpiling behavior. The hypothesis is that Swedish popular media representations of digital technologies contribute to fuelling an understanding of these technologies as resource-free, consumable goods, and that this in turn might affect peoples’ tendencies to stockpile obsolete digital technologies in their homes. Previous studies have shown that stockpiling of obsolete electrical and electronic equipment is a common phenomenon in many countries (see for comparison Grossman, 2006; Saphores et al., 2006, 2009; Lescak, 2008; Gabrys, 2011). At the same time, little light is shed on why people stockpile obsolete electrical and electronic equipment in their homes. This article focuses particularly on digital technologies such as computers, televisions, smart phones, cell phones, laptops and tablets. Digital technologies are interesting as they account for a large – and increasing – amount of electrical and electronic equipment. Looking at the ways in which Swedish popular media represent digital technologies, this article suggests that popular media representations of digital technologies matter, not only in the ways people imagine and use digital technologies, but also the ways in which we think (or choose not to think) about their afterlife. The hypothesis is that the ways in which Swedish popular media represent digital technologies obstruct environmentally sound disposal and reuse options, something that in turn serves to cement and/or reinforce contemporary consumption behaviors and the environmental impacts that follow. By this, this article provides additional insights into what appears to be a western tendency to store obsolete electrical and electronic equipment at home. 

This article explores the site-specific location and objecthood of the Swedish television during its inception. It offers an understanding not only of how people in Sweden experienced the arrival of the television but also of the ways in which its material properties fashioned peoples’ use of space and how this worked in tandem with social stratifications, national discourses, and gendered ideals. Engaging in the historical and material actuality of the television offers additional insights into the ways in which the television is experienced today, and how these experiences continuously contribute to fashioning peoples’ experience of the TV object.

This article explores some of the ways in which hacked Changeable Message Signs (CMSs) destabilize the physical space of motor transport spaces and jeopardize the institutionalized function of travel. While CMSs draw attention to the correlation between motorists' current positions, possible inconveniences ahead and their final destination, hacked CMSs and the subsequent projection of unsanctioned messages destabilize this correlation. Hence, the seemingly straightforward relationship between motor transport spaces and the activities of motorists, pedestrians and passers-by is in fact fashioned by the particular kind of message that is displayed at any given moment. Focusing on the spatial effects of hacked CMSs and how the dissemination of unsanctioned information points to the social stratifications of motor transport spaces, hacking is understood as a means of combating the disciplinary regimes of roadways.