Reassembling the Social is a fundamental challenge from one of the world's leading social theorists to how we understand society and the 'social'. Bruno Latour's contention is that the word 'social' as used by Social Scientists has become laden with assumptions to the point where it has become a misnomer. When the adjective is applied to a phenomenon, it is used to indicate a stabilized state of affairs, a bundle of ties that in due course may be used to account for another phenomenon. Latour also finds the word used as if it described a type of material, in a comparable way to an adjective such as 'wooden' or 'steely'. Rather than simply indicating what is already assembled together, it is now used in a way that makes assumptions about the nature of what is assembled. It has become a word that designates two distinct things: a process of assembling: and a type of material, distinct from others. Latour shows why 'the social' cannot be thought of as a kind of material or domain, and disputes attempts to provide a 'social explanation' of other states of affairs. While these attempts have been productive (and probably necessary) in the past, the very success of the social sciences mean that they are largely no longer so. At the present stage it is no longer possible to inspect the precise constituents entering the social domain. Latour returns to the original meaning of 'the social' to redefine the notion and allow it to trace connections again. It will then be possible to resume the traditional goal of the social sciences, but using more refined tools. Drawing on his extensive work examining the 'assemblages' of nature, Latour finds it necessary to scrutinize thoroughly the exact content of what is assembled under the umbrella of Society. This approach, a 'sociology of associations' has become known as Actor-Network-Theory, and this book is an essential introduction both for those seeking to understand Actor-Network-Theory, or the ideas of one of its most influential proponents.

About the Author:

Bruno Latour is a Professor at the Centre de Sociologie de l'Innovation, Ecole Nationale Sup�rieure des Mines de Paris. Having been trained as a philosopher, then an anthropologist, Bruno Latour specialized in the analysis of scientists and engineers at work, and published works on philosophy, history, sociology, and the anthropology of science. He is the author of Laboratory Life (Princeton University Press), We Have Never Been Modern (Harvard University Press), and Pandora's Hope: Essays in the Reality of Science Studies (Harvard University Press).

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

There's nothing better to clear the cobwebs of the Grumps than curling up with a good book! Find thousands of good reads and lighten your mood with Grumpy's Fine Books!

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Grumpys Fine Books
NM, U.S.A.

Terms of Sale:

I accept all returns within 30 days of delivery and will provide prepaid return shipping labels upon request.

All orders may be canceled by the consumer until the time the order is confirmed and shipped out. This will always happen within a maximum of 48 hours.

Shipping Terms:

I charge shipping to cover USPS Media Mail rate, unless Priority Mail is chosen. Those items will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail. I do not offer UPS or Fedex shipment at this time.
All items are packaged in the most secure way possible so as to avoid damage in transit.

Payment Methods
accepted by seller

Add to Wants

Items related to Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Th...

Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory (Clarendon Lectures in Management Studies)

Latour, Bruno

New - Hardcover

Seller's business information