Professional paper

Beyond the Boundaries of Classical Social Theory: Theories of Practice and New Materialism as Epistemological Starting Points for the History of the Future (Summary)

Stipe Sardelić

Abstract

The paper problematizes the key theoretical assumptions of theorists Theodore Schatzki and Bruno Latour, with a particular emphasis on the conceptual similarities that connect the two theoretical approaches. The paper delves into Schatzki’s social ontology through the key concept of the “site of the social,” as well as his theory of social practices, focusing primarily on the concepts of social practices, teleoaffective structures, and the social nexus. At the same time, the paper also elaborates on Latour’s “flat” ontology and Actor-Network Theory, which views social reality as an interconnected network of various human and non-human actors whose interactions construct and constitute reality itself. A special section of the paper is dedicated to presenting the closeness of the two theories, which is primarily reflected in their common departure from the agency/structure dichotomy, the operationalization of social reality as an assemblage of networks/sets, the emphasis on the dynamic character of the social world, and the departure from anthropocentrism with an emphasis on the material dimension in the study of society. Additionally, the paper explores the connections between the theoretical approaches of the two authors and the theory of new materialism.

Keywords

agency; structure; site of the social; social practices; network; flat ontology; new materialism

Hrčak ID:

335713

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/335713

Publication date:

17.9.2025.

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