Boundary Objects, Zones of Indeterminacy, and the Formation of Irish and Jewish Transnational Socio-Financial Networks

Abstract

The concept of boundary object helps in understanding how members of different communities of practice can cooperate without sharing a consensus on their goals or even on precisely what they are doing. Sometimes, however, scholars treat boundary objects as a shorthand explanation for successful cooperation across boundaries. Instead of tracing the network of associations within which boundary objects are nestled, it is assumed that some properties inherent to particular objects secure cooperation. To offset this tendency, this article examines the Irish and Israeli governments’ attempts to raise funds in the United States through the sale of quasi-philanthropic bonds in the 1920s and 1950s, respectively. In the Israeli case, the bond served as a boundary object. In the Irish case, in contrast, a similar bond intensified disagreements between the Irish government and key Irish American organizations. The analysis highlights the importance of the entire socio-technical network within which boundary objects are nestled. It points to the importance of creating a zone of indeterminacy wherein boundary objects can maintain interpretive flexibility and facilitate cooperation. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the importance of temporal framing in the construction of boundary objects.