[Air-L] Using ANT as ethos and method

jeremy hunsinger jhuns at vt.edu
Tue Feb 10 08:54:35 PST 2009


>

I think we have to be very careful with ANT.  ANT does not really  
support critique or critical sociology ala bourdieu's reflexivity.  
Reflexivity for ANT means something entirely different and unrelated  
to power(more like acting in a way to bring about actions you expect  
or knowing one's relationships in the network of actions).  Power is  
not a concept for actor-network, it doesn't talk about power, it talks  
about who acts, where acting is something that objects can do as much  
as subjects.    If you are interested in framing and power, you are  
doing something other than ANT.  Translation though is a big point of  
Callon's ANT, but it is different from framing because it is  
specifically an act that enables the recruitment of others to the  
network.   Alexander pointed out a key idea of ANT which is the  
symmetry principle.  The symmetry principle rules out the analysis of  
power and domination.  You can read about the symmetry principle and  
its origin in "The Social Construction of Technological Systems" .

This is not to say one can't introduce domination, power and  
reflexivity in relation to power into one's analysis, but i think then  
you are definitely doing something beyond ANT.


> In terms of flattening the divide, i would be cautious not to take  
> this as
> face value and I think a more practical approach would be to take a
> reflexive approach to relations. As in my own case, acknowledging  
> that the
> voice of children often come from a position of marginal power and
> reflecting on how they come to be translated by design teams and also
> through research (such as my own).  You talk about how the pursuit  
> of MMO
> gaming is treated as a socially maligned form of leisure and I think  
> that
> ANT would have the potential to help you understand how this activity
> becomes framed as such (especially when it may not be significantly
> different to other forms of activity which receive less social  
> prejudice).
> These were just a few ideas I had when considering your post. I'll  
> be happy
> to talk off list further about ANT if you wish.
>
> Good luck with the research.
>
> Liam
>
> -- 
> Liam Berriman
> PhD Student
> Department of Sociology
> Goldsmiths, University of London
> New Cross
> London
> SE14 6NW
>
> On Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 3:14 PM, Tamara Paradis  
> <tsparadis at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi all
>>
>> I'm working on a graduate project that explores the controversies and
>> understandings of MMO gaming as valid leisure. I'm curious what is  
>> it about
>> MMO gaming that results in it being viewed as geeky, strange,  
>> "luser-ish",
>> etc. I've been struck by the ways in which MMO gamers themselves,  
>> as well
>> as
>> everday non-gaming folks and mass media reportage (outside of  
>> financial
>> reports!) seem to accept that MMO gaming is somehow a type of  
>> strange and
>> suspect pursuit.
>>
>> I've long been intrigued with the work of Bruno Latour and others  
>> from SST
>> and material culture studies who use an Actor-Network Theory (ANT)  
>> approach
>> to studying the world and its phenomenon. I am drawn to the ethos  
>> of ANT
>> which flattens the divide between researcher and the researched,  
>> and which
>> advocates jettisoning old notions of society and "the social", and  
>> the old
>> (artificial?) divides between micro/macro, structure/individual,
>> power/domination etc. in the interests of letting the actions tell  
>> the
>> story
>> of the results. I'm equlally drawn but intimidated by the methods  
>> built
>> into
>> ANT -- the mapping of actors and connections and associations.
>>
>> I'm trying to convince a reluctant adviser that an ANT approach is  
>> a valid
>> way of studying my research question. Given the digital focus and the
>> desire
>> to use ANT as ethos and method, as well as the ways in which ANT  
>> approaches
>> study and fieldwork, I'm having a rough go of it.  I'm wondering if  
>> any of
>> you are using ANT or have used it in the past for qualitiative  
>> research
>> purposes (e.g. virtual ethnography; findings reporting; etc.). If  
>> you have
>> done so in the past, are in the midst of doing so now or are at least
>> intrigued by the possibilities, I'd be interested in talking with you
>> off-list.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Tamara Paradis
>> tparadis at connect.carleton.ca
>> tsparadis at gmail.com
>> Carleton University - Sociology & Anthropology
>> Ottawa, ON, Canada
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