Actor-Network Theory

Actor–network theory (ANT) began at the end of the 1970s as an attempt to account for scientific activity without distinguishing a priori between its so-called social and technical aspects. The concept of actor–network captures the idea that for any actor to act, many others must act as well. In other words, action is shared with a multitude of people and things – for, indeed, things play a part in our collective lives. Actors, whether individual or collective, whether human or not, are therefore a mystery whose constitution must be explained; they are not at all the obvious starting point of action. Those few premises have had a significant impact on some organizational communication scholars, in particular those interested in interorganizational networks and partnerships, in questions of agency, or in the ability of communication to constitute organizations

A Buberian approach to the co-construction of relationships between professional caregivers and residents in nursing homes

Contains fulltext : 127928.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)This article demonstrates the value of a Buberian approach to relationships between professional caregivers and residents in nursing homes. Extant research on relationships between professional caregivers and residents typically distinguishes between task-centered and person-centered communication yet tends to privilege either the perspective of professionals or residents. To address this issue, we develop an approach that addresses the co-construction of I-It and I-Thou relationships, based on Martin Buber's social existentialist philosophy. In turn, we show the merit of this approach by using it to analyze interactional data from an observational study on morning care in Dutch nursing homes. As these examples illustrate, our analytical perspective is useful because it highlights how different caregiver-resident relationships are co-created and unfold over time. Thus, by revealing how these relationships are worked out in everyday interactions through subtle shifts between task-centered and person-centered communicative practices, this article offers important insights for improving the quality of care in nursing homes.9 p