T r a c i n g   A c t o r   N e t w o r k s

 

Actor-Network Theory (ANT) provides a radical challenge to dualistic or dialectic conceptions that attempt to construct and perform
 a variety of separations between nature(s) and society. It provides a powerful means by which to challenge
a priori categorisations in addition to the ability to open up a more-than-human politics.

It has, however, been criticized on a number of fronts including its tendency to 'flatten' out what some consider to be very
real differences between, for example, humans and non-humans. It has also been attacked for its purely descriptive, agnostic stance.

In this issue, we welcome a wide range of contributions and encourage creative use of media forms for the submission of work.
Possible areas of analysis might include: 

  • Examining a particular political event and tracing the flows of actors and agencies surrounding the issue
  • Visual or conceptual mapping of networks surrounding single issues or events
  • Examining Latour's notion of 'circulating reference' and its application to issues beyond scientific knowledge production
  • Comparing ANT and Marxist/Feminist/Cultural accounts of particular events such as natural hazards
  • Critical discussion of the work of: Bruno Latour, Michel Callon, Sarah Whatmore, Nigel Thrift, Philip Stott or others
  • Analysis of the links between non-representational theory and ANT, including non-linguistic depictions and methodologies


Related references:

Bingham, N (1996) 'Object-ions: from technological towards geographies of relations' Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 14, 635-57, 1996
Bingham N and Hinchliffe S, (2008), “Reconstituting natures: Articulating other modes of living together”, Geoforum 39 83-87
Castree, N and B Braun (eds) Social Nature, Blackwell 2001
Deleuze G. and Guattari F. (1980), Thousand Plateaus, London: Athlone
Latour B. and Weibel P. (eds) (2005) Makings things Public: Atmospheres of Democracy, Cambridge: MIT press
Latour, B (2005) Reassembling the Social: an introduction to actor-network theory, Oxford UP
Latour B (2004), The Politics of Nature, Harvard 2004
Latour B (1999), Pandora's Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies
Law and Mol (2007): “Globalisation in practice: on the politics of boiling pigswill” by in Geoforum 2007, 20 p.
Lorimer, J (2006) 'What about the nematodes? Taxonomic partialities in the scope of UK biodiversity conservation', Social & Cultural Geography, 7:4, 539 - 558
Vandenberghe (2002) Reconstructing Humants: A Humanist Critique of Actant-Network Theory. Theory, Culture & Society 2002 Vol. 19(5/6): 51–67
Whatmore, S Hybrid Geographies: natures, cultures, spaces, Sage 2002
S. Whatmore and L. Thorne (1998) Wild(er)ness: reconfiguring the geographies of wildlife, TIBG 23: 435-54
Whatmore, S. and Hinchliffe, S. (2003) Living cities: making space for urban nature. Sounds: a journal of politics and culture 22, 37–50.


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