Concepts · Across science and technology
Actor-network theory
Source-checked draft · v0.2 · 2026-09-24
Prepared with AI assistance; no scholarly reviewer assigned.
In Latour’s account, actor-network theory is a sociology of associations that traces how the social is assembled.
Source: Latour, Bruno · Description, final paragraph
Latour, Bruno. Reassembling the Social (2005). Author’s description.
Supporting passage (paraphrased): Latour describes his version of ANT as a science of associations.
Source paraphrase
The core idea
Latour proposes investigating associations instead of assuming that a ready-made social domain explains other activities.
Source: Latour, Bruno · Publisher abstract
Supporting passage (paraphrased): Contrasts assembling associations with treating the social as a distinct material or domain.
Source paraphrase
An explanatory shift
The publisher’s account distinguishes an assembling process from a supposed social substance. This redirects explanation toward the constituents and connections of an association.
Source: Latour, Bruno · Publisher abstract, paragraphs 1–3
Supporting passage (paraphrased): Explains the distinction between the process of assembling and a type of material.
Source paraphrase
Scope of this account
Latour explicitly presents his own version of ANT and traces its development from science studies into other domains. This source should not stand in for all contributions to the tradition.
Source: Latour, Bruno · Description, final paragraph
Latour, Bruno. Reassembling the Social (2005). Author’s description.
Supporting passage (paraphrased): Latour describes his version of ANT as a science of associations.
Editorial guidance
Editorial perspective
For further study, comparisons with institutional or political-economic explanations would require separate sources establishing their respective arguments.
Invented illustration
Illustrative example
A laboratory report depends on samples, people, equipment, and recording procedures. Tracing how they hold together illustrates an association; this is an invented scenario, not a case reported in the cited book.
Start reading
Latour, Bruno. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford University Press, 2005.Introduction; author’s description also linked above
The monograph is the starting reading; this introductory draft relies on the author’s description and publisher abstract, not a full-text review.
Edition & revision record
- v0.2 · 2026-09-24: Added claim citations, source locations, reading levels, and explicit editorial labels; removed exercises.
Suggested citation: “actor network theory,” STS Knowledge Guide, AI-assisted draft, v0.2, 2026-09-24.
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