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Kamil JK

Actor-Network Theory

“An actor in ANT is a semiotic definition—an actant—that is, something that acts or to which activity is granted by others. It implies no special motivation of human individual actors, nor of humans in general.” —Bruno Latour

Overview

Actor-Network Theory (ANT) examines how human and non-human elements interact within networks to create, maintain, and transform social and technical arrangements. Developed by Bruno Latour, Michel Callon, and John Law in the 1980s, it emphasizes a flat ontology where entities gain significance through relationships.

Key Features

  • Generalized Symmetry: Equal treatment of human and non-human actors.
  • Distributed Agency: Agency emerges from networks, not individuals.
  • Material-Semiotic Approach: Considers both physical objects and meanings.
  • Focus on Process: Examines how networks form, stabilize, and transform.

Core Concepts

Actants and Translation

ANT introduces “actants” to describe any entity that produces effects within a network, including humans, technologies, and natural entities. Networks form through translation, aligning diverse elements via:

  1. Problematization: Defining problems and key roles.
  2. Interessement: Engaging and locking actors into roles.
  3. Enrollment: Coordinating actors’ roles.
  4. Mobilization: Ensuring representation within the network.

Network Stabilization

Networks achieve temporary stability through:

  • Inscriptions: Embedding knowledge in durable materials.
  • Black Boxing: Simplifying complex processes into functional units.
  • Standardization: Creating uniform interfaces.
  • Material Infrastructure: Physical arrangements that constrain action.

Applications

Science and Technology Studies (STS)

  • Latour and Woolgar’s Laboratory Life (1979): Demonstrates how scientific facts are constructed through laboratory practices.
  • Callon’s study of scallop fishing (1986): Highlights the role of non-human actors in shaping human practices.

Organizational Theory

  • Callon’s electric vehicle study (1986): Shows innovation as a result of aligning diverse interests.
  • Law’s analysis of maritime expansion (1986): Examines the role of technologies in historical change.

Healthcare

  • Mol’s The Body Multiple (2002): Explores how medical practices enact multiple realities.
  • Berg’s study of electronic medical records (1997): Analyzes the interplay between clinicians and software systems.

Environmental Studies

  • Latour’s Politics of Nature (2004): Proposes integrating non-human actors into environmental politics.
  • Callon’s sustainable fisheries study (1998): Examines ecological and economic negotiations.

Practical Applications

  • System Design: Understanding sociotechnical integration.
  • Change Management: Mapping allies and resistors.
  • Infrastructure Development: Recognizing material politics.
  • Innovation Management: Planning for interest alignment.

Further Reading

  • Bruno Latour, Science in Action (1987)
  • Michel Callon, “Some Elements of a Sociology of Translation” (1984)
  • Annemarie Mol, The Body Multiple (2002)
  • John Law, Organizing Modernity (1994)
  • Assemblage Theory: Examines heterogeneous collections.
  • Object-Oriented Ontology: Rejects human-centric views.
  • Sociotechnical Systems: Explores the interplay of social and technical elements.

Key Questions

  • How do human and non-human elements interact within the system?
  • What translations align diverse interests in the network?
  • How are controversies resolved, and what alternatives exist?