NETWORKS OF PRACTICE AS HETEROGENEOUS ACTOR-NETWORKS

Abstract

This paper discusses some of the difficulties involved in using the concepts of ‘communities of practice’ and ‘networks of practice’ when understanding the exchange of knowledge among globally dispersed communities of professionals. It proposes rethinking ‘networks of practice’ as heterogeneous networks in the sense used by the actor-network theory. The revised concept is illustrated with examples from the author's study of software developers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and their ties to global technology.

Keywords:

• communities of practice
• globalization
• ICTs
• actor-network theory
• software development
• Brazil

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Paul Duguid, Luisa Farah Schwartzman, Ivan da Costa Marques, Dan Perkel, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on the various drafts of this paper. This material is based in part upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. SES-0724707.