Hi Yuti,
I happen to be working on a paper right now in the International Development literature in which we are combining ANT perspectives with those of Orientalism (they are both informing each other). In my view, the 'why' question that ANT asks is a different why. Instead of the 'explain why' question of causal approaches (and many of those at conferences), ANT (and other similar methods) try to 'understand why' things happen i.e what conditions precipitated particular observable effects. This acknowledges the fact that nothing by itself is ever causal. This involves thick description in order that the reader can decide for themselves (important) whether your story is plausible. We want to reclaim phenomena as matters of
concern.
From: yuti ariani <yuti.ariani@...>
To: actor-network-theory@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, July 5, 2011 2:40:32 AM
Subject: [actor-network-theory] ANT & Post-colonialism
Hi all,
Does anyone know what ANT can learn from post-colonialism? I am
struggling on how to answer a 'why' question. Law (2007) describes ANT
as ‘descriptive rather than foundational in explanatory terms’. In
Reassembling the Social, Latour (2005) describes that ANT prefers to
use infra-language, 'which remains strictly meaningless except for
allowing displacement from one frame of reference to the next'. I am
thinking to borrow some concepts from post-colonial studies so I can
answer the why question, but I am still not sure on how to make it
works. I read Timmothy Mitchell's book, Rule of Expert where he
claimed himself as post-colonialist and performing ANT at the same
time and also work from CJ Shepherd where he also state post-colonial
and ANT, but I am still not sure ... Probably the only reason why ask
this question is that in conferences people always ask me the why
question.
Can someone shed a light for me?
Thanks!
kind regards,
yuti
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