Cartography Of Controversies Research Articles

Friends or Foes of Nonhumans? The Place of Scientific Experts in the Philosophy of Bruno Latour

Bruno Latour has long denounced the constraints on political deliberation caused by the alleged impersonal objectivity of scientific discourse. However, throughout his career, the French philosopher has advanced some critiques of the role of scientific experts. With his proposal of the Parliament of Things, Latour expected to redefine the scientific expert as a translator for nonhumans in the general quest of integrating sciences and politics. However, the late Latour re-elaborated this alternative under the light of the new climate regime, which reveals that scientists are no longer able to translate the legion of nonhuman actors bursting into contemporary politics. This paper aims to give a recount of the Latourian assessment of scientific expertise, while also indicating another plausible redefinition of the scientific expert as a teaching figure. This is derived from the vindication of rhetoric and the pedagogical vein that traverse Latourian philosophy. At the end, there will be a review of three specific practices which exemplify that pedagogical role: cartography of controversies, art exhibitions and citizen science.

Moving from physical literacy to co-existing physical literacies: What is the problem?

This paper explores how various ideological positions or ‘cosmoses’ associated with physical literacy (PL) have come to be and, in doing so, extends scholarship by examining and presenting PL as a multiplicity of physical literacies. Drawing on Stengers’ notion of ‘cosmopolitics’ and Venturini's ‘cartography of controversies’ method, 167 scholarly articles and 23 non-scholarly texts were analysed to observe and describe how PL has been framed over time as a result of dynamic political factors. Findings reveal that three ‘waves’ of PL cosmoses have unfolded over time (PL as health-promoting physical activity, PL as motor competence and PL as phenomenological embodiment). Whilst all three seek to promote engagement in physical activity and have loose ties to ‘health’, each PL cosmos is bound by different objectives, actors and obligations and is orientated towards solving a different problem. Rather than continued confusion and controversy, we propose that PL be understood as a multiverse wherein the three different PL cosmoses are held apart as physical literacies that play co-existing roles based on the problem that each cosmos is trying to solve. While understanding PL as a multiverse is not a solution to the controversy and uncertainty surrounding PL, it provides those who are interested in or tasked with enacting PL an opportunity to become aware of and understand what the different PL cosmoses or physical literacies constitute and thus make possible (or not) on the basis of their ontological differences.

When teachers Google physical literacy: A cartography of controversies analysis

How physical literacy (PL) is presented on ‘the web’ (i.e. Google) has implications for how health and/ physical education (H/PE) teachers and coaches engage with and understand the concept, and ultimately how it is made to act in practice. This research sheds light on the type of PL content they are likely to encounter in their search via the web. Utilising Venturini's ‘cartography of controversies’ method, the top 100 Google search results for PL were analysed to observe and describe how PL is presented on the web, by whom and in the name of what. Findings show that PL has been ‘framed’ on the web by a heterogeneous network of actors who present different viewpoints, ideologies and suggested practices for PL within and across the contextual ‘spheres’ of education, sport and health. Further, the findings highlight how Google's algorithms prioritise and privilege particular PL viewpoints and ideologies. Consequently, variations in understanding and practices will be evident between H/PE teachers and coaches who only engage with the first page of Google results (top one to 10 URLs) and those who read more broadly. Rather than relying on Google's algorithms or policymakers’ interpretations of PL that commonly serve the interests of the sport and health ‘spheres’ we suggest that H/PE teachers and coaches need to act as ‘knowledge brokers’ and thus be reflexive and aware of the multiple versions of PL that are presented on the web. This is especially important if they use the web as a form of professional development.

Mapping the physical literacy controversy: an analysis of key actors within scholarly literature

ABSTRACT Background: Physical Literacy (PL) is a concept enduring controversy. Based on Actor-Network Theory and Venturini’s definition, PL is considered a controversy because it is a ‘situation’ in which actors disagree and there is ‘shared uncertainty’ around what it is and is not. Given the increasing expectation, in some countries, that PL becomes a feature of health and/physical education (H/PE) it is important that the profession is aware of and understands the multiple versions that exist, the actors who have assembled them and in the name of what. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to map in unprecedented detail the controversial state of PL as presented by different actors on the scholarly web (i.e. peer-reviewed, scholarly literature). This is important, as actors assemble to create territories and these territories describe bounded spaces. This research helps to better understand what territories are being marked out on the scholarly web, defined by actors that work together to produce different PL ‘modes of ordering’ and the implications this has for further research, policy and ultimately, how PL is made to act in H/PE. Method: Utilising Venturini’s ‘cartography of controversies’, 77 PL scholarly articles were analysed to observe and describe the network of heterogeneous actors involved in the PL controversy, along with viewpoints, relations and ideologies. Finding/discussion: Analysis of the scholarly articles revealed that four clusters of actors have formed, each of which is invested in certain ideologies as to what PL should be. These clusters serve to restrict alternative perspectives of PL through a process of framing and deletion. As a result, a mix of overlapping yet contested PL framings that render PL ontologically unstable are present on the scholarly web. This instability can be attributed, at least in part, to actors who reshape their relations and bridge ideas across clusters and disciplinary boundaries. This has enabled porous boundaries and fluid ‘forms of knowledge’ of what PL should be. The implication is that the different versions of PL flow in many directions. Consequently, PL appears to be an attractive, all-encompassing concept, albeit understood/utilised differently across clusters of actors, that does everything from combating non-communicable diseases to fostering individuals’ embodied potential, with the possibility of addressing little in reality. Conclusion:As expectations rise for H/PE teachers and coaches to engage with PL, an awareness of PL’s various compositions, interests and logics should be informative. The solidity of each version of PL is highly contingent, and their influence will rise and fall with the fluctuation of alliances. The reforming and fluid nature of the PL actor-network(s) means that there is no single, grand narrative for PL, but rather multiple, and partial possibilities. We conclude by drawing on the findings to share four possible futures for PL.

Controversies in an information technology startup: A critical actor-network analysis of the entrepreneurial process

This article critically investigates the controversies involved in the entrepreneurial process of an IT venture using the Actor-Network Theory (ANT). While ANT and other processual approaches have been used to assess entrepreneurship, little emphasis has been placed on addressing the controversies involved in the entrepreneurial process. To overcome this bias, we used the Cartography of Controversies (CC), an ANT's applied method, to highlight the impacts of conflictual relationships on the organizing process of an IT venture. We based our analysis on a pluralistic corpus of primary data, including interviews, focus groups, field journals, and other documents. We found five main critical issues related to the entrepreneurial process, being them: sociodemographic biases, reproduction of economic and cultural inequalities, conflicts among organizational elites, disputes between owners and workers, and overdependence of startups on larger technological firms. In line with the ‘ANT and After’ literature, we demonstrated how the critical use of ANT sociological approach avoids excessively aggregated categories often present on other critical studies. Finally, we conclude that the critical use of ANT can contribute to more sophisticated and well-built forms of criticism, orienting the research empirically and considering the critical capacities of the actants themselves.

Controversies as method for ANTi-history: An inquiry into public administration practices

Drawing on Actor-Network Theory and the cartography of controversies, we present a method for ANTi-History research to investigate the implementation of a contract between a labour services company and a public university hospital in Brazil. The research question focuses on how the past is enacted in the present. The method is a general guideline based on five focal points used to organize the fieldwork: identifying controversies; mapping the actor-network; drawing out the translation process; politics of actor-networks and multiple reality/power relations. The proposed method makes two contributions to ANTi-History literature. First, although these focal points have been discussed by ANTi-History scholars, they are scattered throughout the literature. We unite them to offer a guide to doing historically embedded research. Second, we show how controversy analysis can be helpful for mapping the politics of actor-networks and describing multiple realities in the construction of history.

Facebook out of control? A technically-mediated autonomous technology

On the controversy triggered by the influence of the so-called “fake news” that circulated on Facebook in the 2016 United States presidential elections, we notice the emergence of an idea of “control of technology”, both in the platform’s official publications and steps announced after the event, and in the specialized media demands. In order to refute the idea of total control of technology and defend the recognition of the action of nonhuman elements, thus contributing to a better understanding of the platform’s actions, we use the concepts of “autonomous technology”, by Langdon Winner (1977), and “technical mediation”, by Bruno Latour (1994). Methodologically, we were inspired by the Cartography of Controversies (VENTURINI, 2010) and worked with content collected through the platform’s official pages and media vehicles that covered the event from July 2016 to July 2018.

Computerization of primary health care in Brazil: the network of actors.

To analyze the network of human and non-human actors involved in the computerization of primary health care in the Brazilian federal government. A qualitative study that used as a theoretical reference the actor-network theory and as a methodological reference the cartography of controversies. Data analysis was carried out using Gephi software, and through the extraction of reports, informed by the actor-network theory. We found a network of 288 connections among 33 actors, composed mainly of nonhuman influencers of computerization. These actors are distributed throughout 3 inter-related communities, and manage the network by defining obligations, penalties, conflicts and intentionalities, thus influencing the success of the intended computerization. The network of actors at the federal level generates situations that, in many cases, hamper the successful implementation of a nationwide computerization strategy.

Actor-network Theory and cartography of controversies in Information Science

Abstract The present study aims to discuss the interactions between the Actor-network Theory and the Cartography of Controversies method in Information Science research. A literature review was conducted on books, scholarly articles, and any other sources addressing the Theory-Actor Network and Cartography of Controversies. The understanding of the theoretical assumptions that guide the Network-Actor Theory allows examining important aspects to Information Science research, seeking to identify the relationships between information, people, and technological equipment in the structure of information flows that create intricate information sharing networks. This interaction between the Actor-network theory and Information Science highlights the role of the research method Cartography of Controversies as an approach that results from the use of the Actor-network theory to investigate the creation of sociotechnical networks.

Aumento de público em museus: a visitação turística como realidade controversa

Os museus recebem público crescente e heterogêneo, e o turismo representa para essas instituições importante incremento dos fluxos de visitação. O número de visitantes é compreendido como fator de sucesso para muitos museus, e o binômio turismo-museu se estabelece como relação estreita e atrativa para diversas instituições museológicas. Contudo, essa premissa pode-se apresentar de forma controversa, uma vez que o entendimento sobre o turismo em museus tende a desconsiderar aspectos relevantes quanto à experiência da visitação e à prática da respectiva atividade nessas instituições. Assim, o presente artigo objetiva apresentar tais controvérsias, identificando pontos de aproximação e conflito entre o discurso e a prática da atividade turística que se efetivam nos espaços museais e investigando até que ponto o aumento de público oriundo da visitação turística pode ser considerado fator que gere, exclusivamente, benefícios para os museus. Com base em pesquisas que vêm sendo desenvolvidas há cinco anos, o estudo se apoia metodologicamente na Cartografia das Controvérsias, de Bruno Latour, e aponta resultados obtidos, segundo análises da realidade enfrentada por museus, na contemporaneidade.

Estratégias para uma Cartografia de Controvérsias “Culturais”: o caso dos rolezinhos nos jornais e redes digitais

This article explores the possibilities of a Cartography of “Cultural” Controversies, inspired by the Cartography of Controversies present in Bruno Latour’s actor-network theory, which initially maps the debates in technical and scientific domains. The goal was to propose a model of Cartography of Controversies consisting of 12 stages. As an example of the application of the model, the way the polemical rolezinhos were portrayed in some Brazilian newspapers and in the main digital networks was observed. This method of approach Cartography of Controversies proved to be a productive tool to study complex phenomena, since it allows for the inclusion of various perspectives without necessarily trying to explain or reduce beforehand the phenomenon to one single interpretative possibility. Keywords: cartography of controversies, digital culture, rolezinho , journalism, actor-network theory.

Analyse des systèmes d'interactions à l'œuvre au sein d'un projet TI : mise en évidence d'une perspective dynamique et relationnelle

Notre recherche vise a approfondir la comprehension de l’issue des projets TI (echec ou reussite) par une prise en compte du role actif des objets (la technologie, notamment) et de leurs interactions avec les humains formant le projet. Face a cet enjeu, cet article souhaite poser une premiere pierre en repondant aux deux questions suivantes : Comment observer les interactions entre acteurs et technologie dans une perspective ontologique relationnelle au sein d’un projet TI donne, en accord avec les principes de l’ANT ? Dans quelle mesure cette nouvelle grille de lecture permet d’expliquer les resultats obtenus ? Le projet donne est un projet TI d’industrialisation d’une technologie (le Pupitre Virtuel) qui s’est solde par un echec (l’abandon du projet). Ainsi, pour repondre a ces questions, nous proposons une methode de visualisation du projet a partir d’une analyse reticulaire fondee sur la theorie de l’acteur-reseau (ANT). Cette methode d’observation des projets TI est appliquee a l’etude longitudinale et en temps reel du projet Pupitre Virtuel. Cette recherche presente deux contributions. La premiere, d’ordre theorique, devoile un mode d’operationnalisation de l’ANT visant a ameliorer la lecture et la comprehension de l’issue des projets TI, et permet en partie, de repondre aux limites de son operationnalisation dans sa dimension ontologique. Le modele developpe rend compte des interactions dynamiques entre les entites du projet et permet ainsi de comprendre l’evolution du reseau selon un continuum convergent/divergent. Il montre alors la necessite de renoncer aux chaines lineaires de relation cause-effet et l’importance de creer et de maintenir une « symbiose technologique » entre humains et non-humains pour favoriser la reussite du projet TI. La seconde contribution, d’ordre methodologique, s’inscrit dans des travaux recents visant a ameliorer la cartographie des controverses, et propose une premiere methode de visualisation (graphiques) des reseaux socio-techniques et de leur evolution.

Building on faults: How to represent controversies with digital methods

In a previous article in this journal, I introduced Bruno Latour's cartography of controversies and I discussed half of it, namely how to observe techno-scientific controversies. In this article I will concentrate on the remaining half: how to represent the complexity of social debates in a legible form. In my previous paper, we learnt how to explore the richness of collective existence through Actor-Network Theory. In this one, I will discuss how to render such complexity through an original visualization device: the controversy-website. Capitalizing on the potential of digital technologies, the controversy-website has been developed as a multilayered toolkit to trace and aggregate information on public debates.

Diving in magma: how to explore controversies with actor-network theory

The cartography of controversies is a set of techniques to explore and visualize issues. It was developed by Bruno Latour as a didactic version of Actor-Network Theory to train college students in the investigation of contemporary socio-technical debate. The scope and interest of such cartography, however, exceed its didactic origin. Adopted and developed in several universities in Europe and the US, the cartography of controversies is today a full research method, though, unfortunately, not a much documented one. To fill this lack of documentation, we draw on our experience as Latour’s teaching assistant, to introduce some of the main techniques of the social cartographer toolkit. In particular, in these pages we will focus on exploration, leaving the discussion of visualization tools to a further paper.