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Actor-network theory and anthropology after science, technology, and society

University of Texas at Austin, USA, rmo{at}mail.utexas.edu

This essay makes a case for the value of actor-network theory (ANT) to anthropology beyond its most usual deployment in studies of science, technology, and society (STS). Through a review of two recent ANT works against both the longer-term development of the approach and common patterns of anthropological appropriation and critique over the past several years, it argues that `about-ANT' and `across-ANT' understandings that emphasize an applicability to technoscience or situations of hybridity should give way to `among-ANT' readings that highlight its quality as a domain-independent ontology of association. Most centrally, it offers a reading of the constitutive spatialities of ANT itself and of spatiality as an important ANT concern, with the suggestion that a greater appreciation for this dimension of the literature might form the basis of broader and more varied anthropological engagements.

Key Words: actor-network theory (ANT) • Bruno Latour • John Law • science • technology and society (STS) • space and place • spatiality

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Anthropological Theory, Vol. 7, No. 4, 471-493 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1463499607083430


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Oppenheim, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?