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Higher education, theory, and modes of existence: thinking about universities with Latour

Tummons, J.

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Abstract

In this article, I pick up established critical explorations of the role and use of theory in higher education research, focusing on the theoretical affordances of the work of Bruno Latour, one of the architects of actor-network theory. Actor-network theory is increasingly widely used within education research, although Latour has moved away from it and has now folded it within a larger project: An Inquiry into Modes of Existence – AIME. Framed as an empirical inquiry into the ontological and epistemological conditions of modernity, Latour argues for a radical shift in how ‘truth’ or ‘meaning’ is established within the world. In this article, I draw on AIME to illustrate how Latour’s multi-realist ontology, augmenting and responding to criticisms of actor-network theory, can be used to explore higher education through ethnographic research, addressing the call for the generation of theoretically coherent accounts of higher education whilst at the same time addressing the necessity of encompassing a heterogeneous range of social actors in order to construct accounts of higher education practice.

Citation

Tummons, J. (2021). Higher education, theory, and modes of existence: thinking about universities with Latour. Higher Education Research & Development, 40(6), 1313-1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1804337

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 5, 2020
Online Publication Date Aug 10, 2020
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Aug 12, 2020
Publicly Available Date Feb 10, 2022
Journal Higher Education Research and Development
Print ISSN 0729-4360
Electronic ISSN 1469-8366
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 40
Issue 6
Pages 1313-1325
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1804337
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1294644

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