Information Technology & People: Volume 22 Issue 1

In and out of actor‐network theory: a necessary but insufficient journey

Nathalie Mitev

This paper seeks to offer a retrospective look at an intellectual journey in and out of using actor‐network theory, which the author drew on to carry out an in‐depth case study of…

Taking a feminist approach to information systems research and using the “thinking tools” provided by the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu

Helen Richardson

This paper aims to contribute a personal account of doing critical research that uses the social theory of Pierre Bourdieu and also that takes a feminist approach to research. It…

The element of surprise: appreciating the unexpected in (and through) actor networks

Neil C. Ramiller, Erica L. Wagner

This paper seeks to reflect on the importance of surprise in qualitative research on information‐technology initiatives. It also aims to consider how the use of social theory in…

A social actor understanding of the institutional structures at play in information systems development

Bruce Rowlands

This paper seeks to provide insights into the process of applying Lamb & Kling's user as social actor model as an institutional lens to analyse data and to generate findings of IS…

Contextualising the IT artefact: towards a wider research agenda for IS using institutional theory

Wendy Currie

This paper sets out to examine the use of institutional theory in information systems research. It also seeks to consider recent debates within information systems, that the field…

Why did they do that? Variability in routine transactions

Michael J. Davern, Carla L. Wilkin

The purpose of this paper is to provide a frank reflection on the authors' journey in applying social theory to understand the routine use of a transaction‐processing system in a…

Using social theory to make sense of IS: what’s it all about?

Gamila Shoib, Joe Nandhakumar