Scissors, Spares, and Junk Drawers: Redundancy as Domestic Infrastructure

• In Event: 20420 - Section on Sociology of Culture Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 5: Materiality and Affordances

Abstract

How do households maintain order in the face of disorderly co-residents, missing objects, and incomplete socialization? This paper examines the role of redundancy in household organization, using the case of the ever-missing household scissors as a window into the broader challenges of maintaining domestic systems. Drawing on ethnographic interviews, we explore how individuals compensate for unreliable co-residents and disruptions in household circuits by amassing spare objects, strategically placing "ambassador tools" in key locations, and developing backup systems to reduce friction in daily life. These redundancies, while sometimes perceived as excessive or chaotic, function as essential infrastructure that supports household coordination and socialization. We argue that redundancy is an adaptive response to the breakdowns inherent in cohabitation, enabling smoother domestic operations and reducing cognitive and emotional labor—especially for those tasked with household management. By framing domestic redundancy as a form of infrastructure, this paper contributes to sociological discussions of material culture, everyday coordination, and socialization.

Authors

• Terence Emmett McDonnell, University of Notre Dame

• Jennifer C. Lena, Teachers College-Columbia University