Following Scientists Around

Abstract

Bruno Latour has been following scientists around for years. Now he wants us to follow him following them around. He offers students of science and technology a detailed map that will allow us to follow him easily. He defines the nature, scope and terms of the exercise; he even invents a name 'technoscience' for its object of study. In unmistakably French fashion he gives us 'rules of method' and 'principles', numbered and ordered. No one following Latour is meant to get lost or to stray off the line of march. Stragglers will have no excuses. There has never been a programme for research in the social studies of science that has been presented in such a systematic and integrated way. This is no mere supplement to our existing interpretative repertoires, no piecemeal compilation of case-studies. It is not meant to be slotted into the relativist or the 'social constructivist' agendas, whose research, in any case, is said to be fundamentally misconceived. This is offered as a new programme for empirical and theoretical work that has the capacity to keep us occupied into the foreseeable future. Latour's book will receive, and it deserves to receive, the closest and most widespread attention. Indeed, the general perspective developed by Latour and his colleagues in Paris is already being, to use Latour's language, 'black-boxed' into a matter-of-fact resource for research in the social studies of science. 1 The study of technoscience under Latour's leadership promises to be great fun. He is clearly enjoying himself immensely. He writes with