In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the work of Gabriel Tarde. Arguably, the theories he proposed – and methodologies he imagined – constitute a radical break with established theories of the ontology of social structures. Taking its cue from this promise, this paper studies the logics that underpin the emergence of a particular male-dominated network of power (gubbslem in Swedish). Using a large data set from back- slapping patterns in the blogosphere coupled with ethnographic data, the text aims to show how the “becoming” of this network emanates from a myriad of infinitesimal processes, which cannot be reduced to being mere results of a certain social milieu. Following a general introduction to the project, section two and three will outline the theory and method proposed by Gabriel Tarde some hundred years ago. Here, the presentation will roughly follow Bruno Latour in his recent endeavour to align Tarde with contemporary sociology. Section four will discuss the method, and section five the results, of the research in question. The paper is concluded with some notes on the practical uses of this body of theory, and on the operationalisation of similar projects in the future.
Tracing the infinitesimal in male networks of power
Are there emerging male-dominated networks of power in the the blogosphere? The Swedish researcher Karl Palmås argue there is, and he is calling it a male phlegm, which in Swedish translates to the disgusting word “gubbslem”. The article is called Follow the phlegm: Tracing the infinitesimal in male networks of power and is published in the Open Peer Review journal International Journal of Feminist Technoscience. This article is written as a reading, affirmation of that article, trying to escape the dogmatic categories of academic writing. I am not sure if I have succeded, but my aim was to write a short text outside the normal game of interpretation and evaluation. Starting in and drawing on Palmås article, but in the same time I hope it will add something in itself. …
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