Jakob Arnoldi: Actor Network Theory: A-modern
(Sociological?) Theory
This article is a critical analysis of Bruno Latour’s actor network theory. It outlines two main conceptual moves in Latour’s work. The first is the move from an “irreductionist“ sociology of science to a critique
of the so-called “Modern Constitution“. The second is a move from a double dialectic between knowledge and on
the one hand the objectively given world, on the other the subjectively given world, to a notion of hybridization. The article outlines a range of positive aspects of the theory. It highlights the many possibilities for empirical research which actor network theory provides. And it argues that
the theory is a valuable tool for research in areas such as risk, technology, and environment. However, the article remains critical of several aspects of Latour’s theory. First of all, it argues that the theory is unnecessarily polemic. Secondly, and much more importantly, it argues that Latour’s theory is haunted by a lack of reflexivity as it remains trapped inside the conceptual framework, the Modern Constitution, which the theory is attacking.
The article argues that Latour retains a dialectical form of reasoning and that the critique of the poles nature and culture is based on the very distinction between these poles.
