How can attempts to understand “the social” be positioned?
On a spectrum from agency-centred (focus on individuals/interaction) to structure-centred (focus on social structures shaping action).
What does “agency-centred” mean in social theory?
Explanations emphasise individual meaning-making and social action and how order is produced through everyday interaction.
What does “structure-centred” mean in social theory?
Explanations emphasise social facts/norms, relations of production, or deeper universal structures that shape social life.
What does it mean that social theory often treats “the social” as sui generis?
“The social” is seen as a phenomenon in its own right, either emerging from interaction or being shaped by structure.
In public discourse, what is “the social” commonly taken to mean?
The domain of society related to people in interaction, often contrasted with areas like economics, politics, nature
Which approaches challenge separating “people” from “society/nature”?
Actor-Network-Theory (ANT), feminist critique, and non-Western approaches argue against separating “the people” part from the rest of society or nature
What key claim does ANT make about “objects” and “the social”?
Objects play a role in social life; ANT rejects an “artificial divide” between social and technical dimensions
How do material artefacts relate to “how we live together”?
Material artefacts are built into social living; they help constitute social relations and practices
How do “things of nature” relate to social life in these approaches?
Natural elements are integrated into “how we live together,” not treated as outside the social
What does analysis focus on in these approaches (ANT/feminist/non-Western)?
The “how” of living together, explicitly including the role of objects/artefacts and nature
Give examples of theorists/concepts often placed toward the agency end of the spectrum.
Weber (meaning-making/social action), Garfinkel/Blumer (interaction & shared meaning-making), Goffman (scripts)
Give examples of theorists/concepts often placed toward the structure end of the spectrum.
Durkheim (norms/social facts), Marx (means & relations of production), Lévi-Strauss (universal mental structures).
Material artefact
A physical object created, modified, or used by people that embodies cultural,
historical, or functional significance
Connect artefacts to each other and you get
infrastructure
“The notion of infrastructure commonly refers to the networked
technical support structures that facilitate the provision of services and the movement of goods,
people, and ideas through space.” (Niewoehner 2022)
Infrastructure as an object in the world
‘Infrastructure’ focuses our attention on “the
constant interweaving of technical objects, social organization, knowledge practices, and moral
orders.” (ibid.)
Infrastructure as an analytic to understand the world
What is social determinism in the technology–society debate?
The view that society determines what technology is and does; technology is treated as a comparatively passive object shaped by human power.
What is technological determinism?
The view that technology determines what society can be; technology is treated as powerful, shaping a comparatively passive society
What key question does Winner pose about artifacts and politics?
Whether links between technical systems and power/authority come from “intractable properties in the things themselves” or are imposed by institutions (e.g., ruling class/governing body)
Winner’s weak version: what does it claim?
Technologies can be designed to support certain social orders; many technologies have interpretive flexibility (different social uses/meanings/design choices)
Winner’s strong version: what does it claim?
Some technologies are strongly linked to specific social orders, with few meaningful alternatives—initial choices have major consequences.
What does Winner mean by “inherently political technologies”?
Technologies that require or strongly fit particular social relations; this can range from “compatibility” to strict requirement, and relations can be internal/external to the tech’s workings
Why is nuclear power often used as an example in Winner’s strong view?
It’s presented as a case where the technology’s operation is tied to highly specific power/authority arrangements (an “inherently powerful” artifact)
According to the course slide, what is Bourdieu’s key point about material culture?
Everyday life inscribes itself into material culture, and material culture then stabilises everyday life/social order, creating path dependencies.