Paper short abstract:

ANT literature often lacks practical guidance. Applying ANT in evaluation of radio programme’s impact on listeners in northern Uganda, this contribution combines a theoretical refinement of ANT principles with an exemplary methodological proposal, formulating four principles of ANT4D methodology.

Paper long abstract:

It is frequently reiterated that ANT is not a theory nor a methodology but rather an ontology (Latour 1999) or a sensitivity (Mol 2010). Consequently, reading ANT literature is often discouraging as it seldom contains practical guidelines, thus precluding its wider use. While it is simpler to adhere to ANT than to take the trouble of translating a non-intuitive theory into a methodology, this paper argues for the possibility of forming transformative guidelines even with a consistent reflection on the foundations of ANT. Based on ethnographic research in northern Uganda, aiming to evaluate the impact of a participatory radio campaign on its listeners, this contribution combines a theoretical refinement of ANT principles with an exemplary methodological proposal, formulating four principles of ANT4D methodology.

Since the seemingly effortless stability of actor-networks signifies non-self-evident exertion of power, the first principle questions why and how actor-networks hold together. The second proposition focuses on how the relations are fixated, emphasising the so-called symmetry between non/human actors. ANT views everything as relational, describing how translations between actors, their aims, and identities occur; the third principle thus determines the project’s success by assessing translations on a scale from adaptation to distortion. Finally, the last principle invites the use and complementation of field-specific theories while avoiding predefined categories. In the case study, these insights allowed for the reconceptualization of development as attachment (Donovan 2014) rather than being freed from bonds, highlighting the importance of deploying robust networks to enhance people’s ability to mobilise other actors or resources.