Actor-Network Theory (ANT)

Overview

Actor-Network Theory treats human and non-human entities symmetrically as "actants" that form networks through processes of translation. Developed by Latour, Callon, and Law, ANT traces how heterogeneous networks are assembled, stabilized, and sometimes dissolved — rejecting the a priori distinction between the social and the technical.

When to Use

• Mapping how a technology, innovation, or practice became accepted (or failed)
• Analyzing the role of artifacts, standards, or devices in stabilizing social arrangements
• Tracing controversy and network-building in science and technology
• Understanding why a seemingly good innovation failed to gain adoption

When NOT to Use

• When the analysis requires strong normative judgments (ANT is descriptive, not prescriptive)
• When macro-level structural explanations are needed (ANT resists pre-given social categories)
• When non-human agency is irrelevant to the research question