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Actor network theory, agency and racism: The case of sickle cell trait and US athletics

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Abstract

Actor Network Theory (ANT) has invigorated recent social theory. In assessing the agency of things ANT offers a fresh perspective on materiality and on the role of the non-human (animate and inanimate), and has challenged the central place of sociology in social research. One increasingly influential concept associated with ANT is that of ‘assemblage’. The article takes a contemporary concern – the sudden death of student athletes later found to be genetic carriers of sickle cell – and uses this to assess the concept. Although ANT, and the notion of assemblage, offer interesting avenues for research, the difficulty in sustaining a plausible notion of durable, structured social interests carries political consequences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Leicester, Attenborough 502, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK

    Bob Carter

  2. De Montfort University, Hawthorn Building 1.27, Leicester, LE1 9BH, UK

    Simon M Dyson

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  1. Bob Carter
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  2. Simon M Dyson
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Correspondence to Bob Carter.

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Carter, B., Dyson, S. Actor network theory, agency and racism: The case of sickle cell trait and US athletics. Soc Theory Health 13, 62–77 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2014.17

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