Translating Nations: Actor‐Network Theory in/and Canada*

Abstract

Dans l'examen des problématiques de l«identité nationale» au Canada, la sociologie critique est de plus en plus tournée vers l'analyse discursive, aboutissant à des conclusions nuancées et complexes. Or, une telle approche risque d'escamoter d'autres analyses, tout aussi utiles, qui attribuent à la technologie un rôle central dans le processus de «nation‐building» au Canada. Cet article explore la sociologie de la traduction, aussi appelée théorie d'acteur‐réseau, et suggère que l'emprunt d'une telle approche se prêterait à une analyse plus complète des «questions nationales» du Canada et du Québec ‐ analyse qui intégrerait les catégories du social et de la technique. Canadian critical sociology draws increasingly from discourse analysis to work out questions of national identity in Canada, yielding complex and nuanced results, but not sufficiently engaging with other work privileging technology as a central question in Canadian nation‐building. This paper explores the sociology of translation, also known as actor‐network theory, and suggests that such an approach might usefully be taken up in order to provide a more complete analysis of the “national questions” of Canada and Québec that integrates both social and technological categories.

Regions, networks and fluidity in the Finnish nation-state

“…Developing the notion of a topological analysis of nation-state formation, I have examined how such an analysis might help in approaching the intersections of seemingly incongruous aspects of state formation and nation building . These developments, following their own temporal scales, partly contradictory logics, and somewhat unexpected outcomes, have still ended up building the world of nati on-states as we know i t (see Abramson, 1998). I argue that through the suggested approach it is possible to gain a better understanding of the diverse and discontinuous socio-spatial relationships through which the nation is, in fact, made.…”

Understanding the emergence, diffusion and continuance of intercountry adoption from South Korea to Queensland, Australia

“…It continues to be the subject of debate. Actor Network Theory has been applied to many disciplinary areas such as science, technology, medicine, sociology, anthropology, law, management, religion, economics and other social sciences enabling new and innovative understandings of phenomena that lead to alternative approaches and solutions (Abramson 1998;Calas & Smircich 1999;Callon 1987Callon , 1999Callon & Rabeharisoa 1998;Dent 2003;Latour 2003;Law 1986c;Martel 2004;Strum & Latour 1987). As one example, Dent (2003) conducted a study of networks of managers and health professionals operating under threats that their hospital would close in a political environment of decentralisation.…”