scholarly journals Wonder Woman: An Assemblage of Complete Virtue Packed in a Tight Swimsuit

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-197
Author(s):  
Theresa K Ashford ◽  
Neal Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Relational Networks ◽  
Wonder Woman ◽  
The World ◽  
Human Actors ◽  
Exemplary Model ◽  
The Trinity

This paper uses actor-network theory (ANT) and Aristotelian virtue ethics to think with/of Wonder Woman as an assemblage of human and non-human actors clustered on a page. It also considers how the emerging assemblage that is Wonder Woman might be viewed as the embodiment of Aristotle’s ‘complete virtue’ or justice. As one of the ‘trinity’ of superheroes of Detective Comics (DC), which also include Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman was created to counter the sadism and tyranny of the Nazi threat during the 1930s and 1940s and has been continually published since 1941. Wonder Woman is a multidimensional icon and an exemplary model of a superhero with a different body and voice, who operates in a different way in the world. She is presented here as a case study to trace possible translations of Aristotle’s configurations of virtue and justice. Using ANT, we argue that Wonder Woman arises from an assemblage of actors that include an armoured swimsuit, a magic lasso, shiny bracelets and a star-emblazoned tiara. By problematising these technologies as actors that commonly invite objectification (the swimsuit) or subjugation (the ropes), this paper suggests possible divergent readings that reveal how virtue and justice can emerge within these relational networks. We test how the sexualised body depictions and overt bondage references in the Wonder Woman comics, and in particular, in our chosen story, George Pérez’s Wonder Woman: Destiny Calling, offer something bolder and more profound—a complex performance of justice. Additionally, this paper intimates the productive methodological powers of ANT in relation to the broader field of comics studies.

Institutionalized Education: Journalism and Mass Communication Education in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
pp. 1326365X2110096
Author(s):  
David Bockino ◽  
Amir Ilyas
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Mass Communication ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Communication Education ◽  
Organizational Field ◽  
The World ◽  
Mass Communication Education

This article uses an examination of journalism and mass communication (JMC) education in Pakistan as a case study to explore the consequences of increased homogenization of JMC education around the world. Anchored by a qualitative method that relies heavily on actor-network theory, the study identifies key moments and people in the trajectory of five Pakistani programmes and explores the connection between these programmes and the larger JMC organizational field. The study concludes by questioning the efficacy of the current power structures within the supranational JMC organizational field before discussing how these influences could potentially be mitigated moving forward.

scholarly journals Appearance, Disappearance and Reappearance of Activity Based Costing: A Case Study from a Sri Lankan Manufacturing Firm

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-81
Author(s):  
Chamali Wijerathne ◽  
◽  
Tharusha Gooneratne ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Human Actors

The purpose of this paper was to identify why activity based costing (ABC) implementation in organizations at times do not continue despite their early interest, but later regain importance. Using the qualitative case study approach, the paper explored the reasons for the appearance, disappearance and reappearance of ABC drawing field data from a Sri Lankan porcelain manufacturing firms, called Gamma. Guided by the theoretical underpinnings of the Actor-Network Theory (ANT), and the translation process therein, we follow organizational managers (human actors) and their interactions with various objects and systems (non-human actors) within the particular context of Gamma, during the different phases of the ABC project. Our findings suggest that the appearance, disappearance and reappearance of ABC have been shaped by a network of actors comprising both humans and non-humans, and that the implementation and continuation of ABC is constrained by the interests of these various actors both inside and outside of the firm. While most prior research has focused on a single phase of ABC implementation, such as the success or the failure, this study brings out its reappearance, following a phase of appearance and disappearance, hence it is a useful addition to prior literature. Furthermore, the findings of this research have important implications for practitioners who are striving to revive projects, such as ABC in organizations. Keywords: activity based costing, appearance, disappearance, reappearance, actor-network theory, case study

Multiple Proximities: Culture and Geography in the Transport Logistics of Newsprint Manufactured in Australia

2001 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1717-1739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Geographic Proximity ◽  
Research Material ◽  
Cultural Proximity ◽  
The World ◽  
Port Logistics ◽  
Recent Case Study ◽  
Network Proximity

Three types of proximity are argued to be present in the research material in this paper. First, put simply, geographic proximity refers to two entities being physically next to each other. Second, cultural proximity refers to two entities being relationally close to one another, with geographic proximity often not being required. Third, network proximity refers to two entities being associated through or with a third entity, again with geographic proximity often not being required. Geographies of links between entities—people, enterprises, places, etc—trace networks of relations. Geographic proximity remains crucial, but the relational spaces of geographic networks that selectively connect entities in different ways around the world are just as important. In this paper some elements from actor-network theory are used to approach the investigation of multiple proximities. The argument is exemplified through a recent case study of the restructuring of trans-port logistics of newsprint manufactured in Australia.

scholarly journals Giant World of Monsters

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Mikkel Snorre Wilms Boysen
Keyword(s):  
Creative Process ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
The Other ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Creative Processes ◽  
Creativity Research ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Human Actors

ResuméInden for kreativitetsteori har der i de seneste 10 år været øget opmærksomhed omkring kreativitetens distribuerede og kollaborative aspekter. Først og fremmest har dette været udtryk for en epistemologisk drejning. Fra et fokus på individet har man således i stigende grad interesseret sig for, hvorledes kreativitet opstår som en konsekvens af et sammenspil mellem mennesker, materialer, teknikker, traditioner, m.m. Det nye perspektiv betyder ikke nødvendigvis, at velkendte pædagogiske metoder må forandres. På den anden side, er det oplagt at afsøge, hvilke potentialer denne nye optik kan tilbyde i forhold til at kvalificere pædagogisk rammesatte læringsmiljøer. Dette spørgsmål undersøges i denne artikel med afsæt i et autoetnografisk casestudie, hvor fire SFO børn udvikler et brætspil i sammenspil med en voksen. I casestudiet arbejder den voksne systematisk med at koble børnenes tanker og ideer til eksterne/interne netværk bestående af aktører, traditioner og materialer. Hermed benyttes kreativitetens distribuerede aspekt proaktivt med henblik på at kvalificere den innovative proces. Casestudiet peger på, at en sådan type didaktik er værdifuld i forhold til at fremme kreativitet og skabe nye typer af kollaborative fællesskaber mellem pædagoger og børn. Giant World of MonstersA case study of collaborative creative processes among children and adults promoted and analyzed through the lenses of actor-network theory and distributed creativity.Within the last ten to twenty years of creativity research, the focus on interaction and collaboration has increased. First of all, this development is promoted by a new epistemological approach, according to which creativity is viewed as something that is distributed among people, materials, techniques, traditions, etc. This relatively new perspective does not necessarily have to affect well-known pedagogical methods. On the other hand, it seems relevant to explore the pedagogical potentials, this new perspective might entail. In this article, the potential is explored through an autoethnographic case study, in which four schoolchildren (ages 10 to 11) develop a game in collaboration with an adult. In the process, the adult systematically establishes connections between the children’ ideas and external networks represented by human and non-human actors, such as books, materials, persons, games, etc. Thus, the distributed aspects of creativity are intentionally activated and highlighted in order to strengthen the creative process. The case study indicates that this type of pedagogy might be productive in terms of promoting creativity and establishing new types of relations between children and teachers/pedagogues.

How Artefacts Do Leadership: A Ventriloquial Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 089331892199807
Author(s):  
Jonathan Clifton ◽  
Fernando Fachin ◽  
François Cooren
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Communication ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Distributed Leadership ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Human Actors

To date there has been little work that uses fine-grained interactional analyses of the in situ doing of leadership to make visible the role of non-human as well as human actants in this process. Using transcripts of naturally-occurring interaction as data, this study seeks to show how leadership is co-achieved by artefacts as an in-situ accomplishment. To do this we situate this study within recent work on distributed leadership and argue that it is not only distributed across human actors, but also across networks that include both human and non-human actors. Taking a discursive approach to leadership, we draw on Actor Network Theory and adopt a ventriloquial approach to sociomateriality as inspired by the Montreal School of organizational communication. Findings indicate that artefacts “do” leadership when a hybrid presence is made relevant to the interaction and when this presence provides authoritative grounds for influencing others to achieve the group’s goals.

Ephemerality as Data Prevention: Values for an Ethics of Ephemeral Mobile Media

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-435
Author(s):  
Sarah Welsh
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Shared Values ◽  
Ethical Framework ◽  
Data Retention ◽  
Mobile Media ◽  
Response Data ◽  
Human Actors

Mobile media is a chief driver of digitizing locational information, geotags, and photos that are produced and collected as we communicate with and exist within our networks. But when these data are stored and recorded—in quantities that far exceed any of our abilities to manage—mobile technology denies our ability to actively forget. This article argues that digital ephemerality via mobile applications (i.e. Snapchat, Signal, Confide, and Facebook Messenger Secret) has emerged because of the granular possibilities for data retention enabled by mobile devices. Together these applications move towards a practice of preventing data from being stored and shared. In response, “data prevention” is proposed as an ethical framework for ephemeral mobile media, and is theorized with an eye toward the distributed agency inherent to networks. This ethics is positioned within a framework of distributed agency across stakeholders that draws most directly from actor–network theory, and three commonly articulated values—trust, transparency, and privacy—are proposed. These values help to define a system of networked practices within ephemeral mobile media that requires consideration of both human and non-human actors. Building sustainable ephemeral technologies necessitates aligning shared values amongst divergent stakeholders. The article concludes by motioning to LIMITS research, where data prevention might be included, linking and further intensifying shared values across technical and social concerns.

Mobilizing a fast policy fix: Exploring the translation of 10-year plans to end homelessness in Alberta, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-521
Author(s):  
Joshua Evans ◽  
Jeffrey R Masuda
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Housing First ◽  
Adaptive Governance ◽  
Technical Expertise ◽  
Dense Network ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Over Time

The management of homelessness has taken various forms over time. In 2003, the U.S. federal government significantly shifted its approach, ambitiously committing to end homelessness within 10 years by targeting the chronically homeless using the Housing First model. This approach to homelessness has rapidly spread across North America and beyond. This article is concerned with how the mobility of these 10-year plans has been realized. Drawing on Peck and Theodore’s concept of “fast policy,” and borrowing perspectives developed in actor-network theory, the article develops a case study of Alberta, Canada, to chronicle how 10-year plans were translated through a dense network of political alignments, socio-technical expertise, and statistical inscriptions. A close examination of these translations invites us to problematize this socio-technical infrastructure as a powerful mode of adaptive governance closely associated with the dynamism of neoliberalism itself.

The Iranian Wheat Growers’ Climate Information Use

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Sharifzadeh ◽  
Gholam Zamani ◽  
Ezatollah Hossein Karami ◽  
Davar Khalili ◽  
Arthur Tatnall
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Information Use ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Fars Province ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Processing Factors

This research project employed an interdisciplinary attempt to study agricultural climate information use, linking sociology of translation (actor-network theory) and actor analysis premises in a qualitative research design. The research method used case study approaches and purposively selected a sample consisting of wheat growers of the Fars province of Iran, who are known as contact farmers. Concepts from actor-network theory (ANT) have been found to provide a useful perspective on the description and analysis of the cases. The data were analyzed using a combination of an actor-network theory (ANT) framework and the dynamic actor-network analysis (DANA) model. The findings revealed socio political (farmers’ awareness, motivation, and trust), and information processing factors (accuracy of information, access to information, and correspondence of information to farmers’ condition) as the key elements in facilitating climate information use in farming practices.

scholarly journals The Extraordinary Statelessness of Deepan Budlakoti: The Erosion of Canadian Citizenship Through Citizenship Deprivation

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiva Stasiulis
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Assisted Reproduction ◽  
Heterogeneous Networks ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Birth Certificate ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Country Of Birth ◽  
Legal Decision ◽  
Canadian Citizenship

As part of the larger trend towards “securitization” of citizenship, citizenship deprivation in Canada is becoming increasingly normalized, resulting in some cases in statelessness. In this article, I pursue a sociology of statelessness by examining its localized production and connections to a broader network of social and material relations. I do this through a case study of Canadian-born Deepan Budlakoti, who at age 22 was informed that he was in fact not Canadian, and lacking any other citizenship, was rendered stateless. Actor-Network Theory is employed to trace how it is that legal documental and heterogeneous networks of humans and things (e.g., a “legal technicality”) have been enrolled to produce a legal decision declaring that Budlakoti, despite his Canadian birth certificate and passports, was never a Canadian citizen. Yet because he has not exhausted all avenues to acquisition of some citizenship (e.g., in India or Canada), he also has failed to secure recognition of his statelessness. A particular innovation in this analysis is the exploration of the exemption in the Canadian Citizenship Act from jus soli citizenship for children born to foreign diplomatic staff. Networks of immigration tribunal and court judgements, and documents treated as evidence have connected and translated into establishing Budlakoti’s fit with this exemption, despite countervailing evidence and a lifetime of documented and state-assisted reproduction of his Canadianness. While robbed of his legal and social identity, and suffering the egregious consequences of statelessness, Budlakoti continues to campaign for restoration of his right to have rights within his country of birth.

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