(un)Doing standards in education with actor‐network theory

Abstract

Recent critiques have drawn important attention to the depoliticized consensus and empty promises embedded in network discourses of educational policy. While acceding this critique, this discussion argues that some forms of network analysis – specifically those adopting actor‐network theory (ANT) approaches – actually offer useful theoretical resources for policy studies. Drawing from ANT‐inspired studies of policy processes associated with educational standards, the article shows the ambivalences and contradictions as well as the possibilities that can be illuminated by ANT analysis of standards as networks. The discussion outlines the diverse network conceptions, considerations, and sensibilities afforded by the ANT approaches. Then, it shows four phenomena that have been highlighted by ANT studies of educational standards: ordering (and rupturing) practice through ‘immutable mobiles,’ local universality, tensions among networks of prescription and networks of negotiation, and different co‐existing ontological forms of the same standards. The conclusion suggests some starting points, drawing from these ANT‐inspired network analyses, for examining the policy processes associated with educational standards.