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Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.15176/vol53no103

Containing the Past, the Present and the Future: Packing a Suitcase

Orvar Löfgren


Full text: english pdf 196 Kb

page 59-74

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Abstract

Everyday life is a constant negotiation between experiences and memories of the past, the challenges of the present and longings and anxieties about the future. My paper focuses on “the throwntogetherness” of such temporal frames. How are they synchronized or kept apart? My chosen example is the suitcase, which I will analyze with the help of two perspectives focusing on the acts of throwing together and containing, to explore how the past, the present and the future is organized, intertwined and stored. The mundane tasks of packing and unpacking will be explored in different contemporary and historical settings, among holidaymakers, migrants, commuters and refugees. The suitcase works as both a material and cultural container.

Keywords

mobility; luggage; suitcase; containment; throwntogetherness; temporalities

Hrčak ID:

162048

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/162048

Publication date:

20.7.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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