Where is toxicity located? Side glances through fieldwork in a toxic place

Abstract

Despite the notorious invisibility of toxicity, an aesthetic narrative has developed around the threat of e‐waste. In reports about toxicity in New Delhi, India, the dirt, grime and discarded remnants of electronics are presented in a particular visual manner to instil horror among readers and viewers. Such a representation has far‐reaching influences on policy. The seven pictures and the accompanying text in this article seek to challenge such a linear narrative of e‐waste's toxicity and offer fragments of other untold stories that challenge the established narrative and evoke the rich social life entwined with e‐waste.