Exchange, obligation, accountability: Moral orders of technology repair in Kampala, Uganda

Daniel Mwesigwa; Steven J. Jackson

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arXiv · 2604.10279

Exchange, obligation, accountability: Moral orders of technology repair in Kampala, Uganda

Daniel Mwesigwa·Steven J. Jackson

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Abstract

This chapter develops the concept of moral orders of repair, defined as the specific norms, rules, values, and expectations that structure and support joint work and exchange in repair worlds and other spheres of collaborative practice. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in mobile phone and computing repair markets in Kampala, Uganda, we identify three key dimensions of moral orders: fair exchange, collaboration across hierarchy, and relational accountability. We show how moral orders provide a detailed specification of informal rules gestured as implicit in moral economies, and how these rules inform the practical and ethical work of repair.

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Daniel Mwesigwa, Steven J. Jackson. 2026-04-11. Exchange, obligation, accountability: Moral orders of technology repair in Kampala, Uganda. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.10279

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