Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2007
Abstract
The work of scientists is heterogeneous-a series of interactions within networks composed of individuals from diverse fields and disciplines (Star & Griesemer, 1989). Generation of new knowledge is essential in the organizations in which these individuals associate; the bridge that holds them together. Knowledge generation takes place at both the individual and collective levels (Brown and Duguid, 1998). Professional organizations attract individuals because they provide a unique forum, a space in which they converge to pursue common goals. Actor-network Theory (ANT) is concerned with how heterogeneous networks and the associations that comprise them come into existence and operate to construct their own space (Murdoch, 1998). Construction occurs in events of the spaces in which research takes place and discoveries are made in networks. ANT views networks as formed through a processes of translation, occurring in phases (Callon, 1986). Translation models require focus on how actor-networks are created, strengthened or weakened, rather than on cause and effect (Tatnall, 1999). The theory is intended as a means for transcending and navigating the dualisms of nature/society, local/global, action/ structure, etc. (Law, 1997; Latour, 1987; Murdoch, 1998). I propose a qualitative field study on the ways in which members of a mature research organization, the Society for Investigative Dermatology, enter and interact in research networks as part of the science of medicine. I will describe the setting, theoretical underpinnings and research method of a study that will trace the path traveled by actors who enter and exit the boundaries of an organization, circulating and forming connections.
Keywords
dermatology--research, actor-network theory, heterogeneity, translation, metaphor, boundary object, complexity
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Minnillo, Rebecca M., "Association in Associations: Network Dynamics in Dermatology Research" (2007). Student Scholarship. 84.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/84