Editorial: A Brief History of the Material in Sociomateriality

Sociomateriality is gaining acceptance in the IS field as a way of taking technology more seriously, but not without its share of criticism. Technology itself is defined in many different ways. Coupled with the broader debates surrounding the complex issues and controversies around the relationship between the social and the material, discussions on how technology is tied to work and organizations will continue to develop. The goal of this special issue is to contribute towards clarifying what the tenets of sociomateriality mean for IS research. Beginning with this editorial that elaborates on material agency in IT, the articles in the special issue discuss post-humanism and notion of separability and inseparability, compare the tenets of sociomateriality with critical realism, propose a method for researching sociomateriality, and elaborate on how a view of ontological fusion provides a more holistic view of a digitally-infused society.

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