Inviting Matter to Sociology—An Illustration with Socio-materiality in the Sociology of Consumption
The social world is laden not only with meaning but also with materiality.However,sociology has evolved into what Latour critiques as"sociology without objects".A contributing factor to this evolution is the sociologists'concern over being ensnared by vulgar materialism or technological determinism.Consequently,in discussions of materiality,sociologists frequently highlight its symbolic or cultural aspects,thereby fitting it within the mainstream theoretical frameworks of the discipline.Nevertheless,by neglecting matter and materiality,sociology's explanatory power is significantly hampered.The increasing impact of digital technologies on social life amplifies limitations of the sociology that overlooks materiality.In response to calls from scholars such as Latour for greater recognition of materiality,some sociologists have begun to reaffirm the significance of matter within the field.Yet,there is no consensus on how to properly integrate materiality into sociological discourse.A promising approach is to adapt Giddens'"structuration theory,"which traditionally considers the duality of structure and agency,by incorporating materiality into this interplay.This creates a theoretical triad relation of structure,materiality,and agency.This triadic relationship enriches our understanding of social phenomena because it acknowledges the role of the material.Incorporating materiality does not detract from the sociological essence of the discipline,for materiality does not operate in isolation.Instead,it is invariably intertwined with the sociality.Acknowledging this entanglement transforms the sociality from a solitary concept into one of socio-materiality,endowing sociology with a more comprehensive explanatory power.The paradigm of socio-materiality is particularly evident within the sociology of consumption,where it becomes especially salient.In order to better explain consumer behavior,we need to input materiality into both structure and agency.As a result,structure becomes humans-materiality combination,embodied in both the social structure of humans-materiality combination(relational structure surrounding the material)and the technic structure of humans-materiality combination(material structure surrounding huamns),whereas agency becomes performance,supported by bodily,environmental and instrumental materiality.In such a transformation of materiality into socio-materiality,consumer behavior can be more effectively explained.
Structure and agencyMaterialitySocio-materialityHumans-material combinationTechnological determinism
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