Problematizing Economic Realities: Assemblages, Publics, and Political Action

A growing body of work in Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Economic Sociology has shown that economic realities are enacted through assemblages of actors, devices, infrastructures, forms of expertise, and material arrangements. The same holds for economic problems: rather than pre-existing conditions awaiting discovery, they emerge through processes of problematization that render particular realities visible, actionable, and politically consequential.

This joint session brings together perspectives from the Sociology of Science and Technology and the Sociology of Economy and Society to explore how economic realities are problematized, assembled, and contested. We are interested in the politics of representation involved in defining economic problems and identifying relevant actors, interests, and constituencies. Who succeeds in establishing what the problem is, who is concerned by it, and what forms of action are required?

We are particularly interested in the extensions of these processes. Can broader publics participate in problematization? Do hybrid forums exist in which experts, policymakers, activists, affected communities, and other actors jointly shape inquiries and interventions? How do scandals, leaks, rumors, conspiracy theories, and competing forms of expertise generate alternative publics and political subjectivities that challenge dominant enactments of economic realities?

We also welcome contributions examining the role of non-human actors. Artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, and digital platforms increasingly participate in processes of problematization and interessment. How do these assemblages shape perceptions of economic realities and influence possibilities for collective action, political mobilization, and democratic participation? We particularly encourage empirically grounded contributions that shed light on these questions across diverse contexts.