Abandoning modern addictions and doing environmental science in the light of Actor-Network Theory

Abstract

In a world experiencing a new climatic regime, phenomena such as deregulation, exploding inequalities, and denialism are the result of the historical construction of modernity. To contribute to politics in this context, we propose replacing dominant models of doing science with research carried out considering Actor-Network Theory. Accordingly, this article reports on the practices of environmental science research, localized, hybrid, and grounded based on the notion that doing research is doing politics. This account is preceded by a brief presentation of certain explanatory principles of reality formulated by classical social science authors, which underpin research across various fields of knowledge, including environmental sciences. The aim of this section is to warn that such principles can become potential intellectual traps that lead to the adoption of modern thought patterns in scientific knowledge production. The empirical studies reported here reveal a growing movement of resistance to the modern way of producing science and engaging with the world. These studies followed carbon, jaguars, distance education, sempre-vivas (everlasting flowers), river basins, mineral waters, community-based tourism, and Indigenous peoples—contributing to the creation of an articulated and collaborative reality composed of affective alliances, collective learning, and connections with non-equals.