Search results for "Actor–network theory"
showing 10 items of 12 documents
The journalOsteuropaas a forum for Russian–German academic dialogue
2014
This article focuses on the interdisciplinary, monthly academic journal Osteuropa as a mediator between Russian and German academic discourses, and as a tool for bringing Russian perspectives closer to German intellectual audiences. The historical overview provided in this paper shall show the actors involved in the development of the journal since its founding at the beginning of the twentieth century. The actor–network theory and the Bourdieusian concepts of field and habitus will be deployed to reveal the academic networks Osteuropa is involved in and the role of the actors in them. Osteuropa's Russian collaborative partners and joint publication projects are presented in the paper. The …
From witnessing to recording – material objects and the epistemic configuration of science classes
2012
Drawing on concepts developed in actor-network theory and postphenomenology this article shows how material objects in the science classroom become part of epistemic configurations and thus co-shape science education. An ethnographic study on epistemic objects in science education is the basis for the analysis of two of these objects: experimental arrangements and the blackboard. While experimental arrangements configure students as witnesses of the fascinating otherness of material objects, the blackboard enacts students as recorders of semiotic representations. In the interplay of these socio-material enactments scientific knowledge receives its authority in the classroom. The perspective…
Dominant and emerging approaches in the study of higher education policy change
2012
The purpose of the article is to analyse recent literature on higher education policy change. Based on the review, three different approaches are distinguished: structural, actor and agency. In the structural approach the dynamic of policy change originates in well-established structures. The actor approach focuses on either individual or institutional actors as the drivers of policy change. The agency approach understands higher education policy change as an interactive process between various actors and domains within transient structures. We will also present two emerging, alternative approaches: actor-network theory, which takes interaction as a starting point and proposes that no organ…
How to Distribute a Cake before Cutting It into Pieces
2000
This article analyses social networks by looking at the standard making processes. As a framework for analysis, actor network theory is chosen. Standards are of particular interest for actor network theory for they provide mechanisms to align interests of multiple social groups organized in networks that have a joint incentive in working with the standards and /or associated technologies. These social groups include scientific communities, government institutions and social movements (industrial groups, companies, and consumers) that are interested in regulating and innovating with new technologies. Standards provide the mechanisms to inscribe subsequent behaviors that are expected to becom…
A virtual integration—The management control system in a multinational enterprise
2008
Abstract This paper draws on actor-network-theory, especially Law and Hassard [Law, J., Hassard, J. (Eds.), 1999. Actor Network Theory and After. Blackwell, Malden, MA] and Latour [Latour, B., 2005. Reassembling the Social. An Introduction to the Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford University Press, Oxford] to investigate how a division-wide management control system was created in a multinational enterprise. The empirical findings were gathered from different actors involved in the implementation of enterprise's ABC and ERP projects. Our study focuses on the ontological politics [Mol, A.-M., 1999. Ontological politics. A word and some questions. In: Law, J., Hassard, J. (Eds.), Actor Network Theo…
ASPECTS OF INEQUALITY IN THE CONTEXT OF EMPLOYMENT OF PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS IN LATVIA
2020
Policy-making in education involves social agents at national, municipal and institutional levels. National regulations and financial capacity of municipalities determine working conditions of teachers and employment aspects at all levels of the education system. For several years, discussions have been taking place in Latvia involving employers of education sector and policy makers on tackling inequalities in pay and workload principles for pre-school teachers. Situation of the pre-school teachers varies across municipalities and is affected by their financial opportunities to sustain educational institutions and ensure teachers’ salaries. In 2019, Latvian Trade Union of Education and Scie…
Participation in ICT Development Interventions: Who and How?
2016
The aim of participatory development (PD) in the context of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development (ICT4D) is to empower underprivileged communities and disadvantaged segments of the stakeholders. The literature on ICT4D is replete with empirical evidence showing that ICT interventions often fail since they are often externally initiated, with very limited involvement from the affected (Heeks, 2002). Clearly, the principles and concepts of PD are relevant to ICT4D. However, we should not consider PD a panacea but need to understand the caveats and processes by which PD happens. Questions to ask include: What are the various challenges in PD? Who are the relev…
Path‐dependencies, constrained transformations and dynamic agency
2013
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the compatibility of actor network theory (ANT) and new institutional sociology (NIS) in analysing a case study of accounting change.Design/methodology/approachThis is an interpretive case study.FindingsThe Finnish case city experienced several path‐dependent changes concerning performance measurement (PM), financial reporting and the adoption of enterprise resource planning system (ERP). New tools such as the ERP have a potential to transform the actors and to change the agency of the actors. Furthermore, the concepts drawing on both ANT and NIS can together enrich analyses of accounting changes.Research limitations/implicationsThe case analys…
Developments Relevant to the Use of Tools in Mathematics
2016
This chapter explores developments in mathematics, computing, mathematics education and scholarship relevant to understanding tools from 1960 to the time of writing. This exploration is biased in accentuating influences relevant to tools and mathematics education. The chapter presents a broad landscape and focuses on selected technological advances, ideas and people that are considered important. The chapter begins with a section charting developments in mathematics, computing and education followed by a section on intellectual trends relevant to understanding tools and tool use. The final section focuses on the development of ideas in mathematics education regarding tools and tool use.
Children’s Play and Art Practices with Agentic Objects
2018
Material objects, ranging from used pieces of gum to superhero capes, are an essential part of children’s play and art practices. However, such items are rarely analyzed as a part of children’s social interaction. Onto-epistemological, scientific, and bio-technological developments of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have enhanced the interest in physical objects within many academic disciplines, and led some to consider if objects, too, can have social agency. In this article, I use Bruno Latour’s actor-network theory (ANT) to analyze three kinds of objects in the context of children’s play and art practices: (1) physical objects, (2) digital objects, and (3) transformative and ima…