The Narrative of a Line of Research from a Feminist Perspective: Fiber Optic Sensors and Actor–Network Theory (ANT)

Abstract

The narrative of a line of research from a feminist perspective involves describing the situated practices that contribute to understanding inequality in the construction of the social relationships that build links between human and nonhuman materialities. This paper aims to link feminist epistemology and actor–network theory to the expert network that produces, sustains and manages the design of the chemical zone of a fiber optic sensor (FOS) and of new smart materials, tracing the path of a university research group with important scientific publications that has also developed a line of work in the field of science, technology and society (STS). We are interested in the generalized division of labor and the role of science and technology in the creation of symbols in our culture, particularly in the field of expert knowledge, where research carried out by men and women constructs trajectories of academic success that are predominantly male. The transversal incorporation of gender analysis into the production of FOSs helps reveal the processes that have, up to this point, excluded women from prominent positions in publications.