Interessement

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The term 'interessement' is French-English, and is synonymous with the word 'interposition'. It was first used by Michel Callon. [1] It is used within the scientific tradition known as actor-network theory, in association with translation and the formation of networks. Various devices can be used in the interessement phase of a translation process, to strengthen the association between actors, and support the structure of the network. [2]

Michel Callon is a professor of sociology at the École des mines de Paris and member of the Centre de sociologie de l'innovation. He is an influential author in the field of Science and Technology Studies and one of the leading proponents of actor–network theory (ANT) with Bruno Latour.

In actor-network theory (ANT), translation is the process that allows a network to be represented by a single entity, which can in itself be an individual or another network.

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References

  1. Callon, M., 1986. Some elements of a sociology of translation: domestication of the scallops and the fisherman in St Brieuc Bay. In K. Knorr-Cetina & A. V. Cicourel, eds. Advances in Social Theory and Methodology: Toward an Integration of Micro and Macro-Sociologies. Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 196-223.
  2. Latour, B., 1992. Technology is society made durable. In Sociology of Monsters: Essays on Power, Technology and Domination. London: Routledge, pp. 103-130.