ABSTRACT
As McGuigan argues, the social sciences have tended to buy into the culture of consumption, which he identifies with Stuart Hall's Birmingham School of Cultural Studies, but which is also a dominant theme in anthropology. This neglect of production can find its counter narrative in reanimation of industrial spaces. To a great extent, science and technology studies, of which actor-network theory is one example, have also done this, but the sociologists have the advantage of working in laboratories and other technological contexts where the industrial process is current. In this context, the idea of reanimating industrial spaces appeals to me in its emphasis on something living, rather than the static time capsule or Marie Celeste identified by Belford. But act as devil's advocate here, because it need to be clear as to what is actually possible, what is desirable and above all, in Belford's terms, what is sustainable.
