Critical perspectives on narratives in a time of environmental and climate crisis: To ‘around’ Bruno Latour,via Alain Touraine

Abstract

This Further engagement article takes up Blok and Jensen's recent call, made through a Dialogues in Sociology Forum, to ‘invent around’ the work of Bruno Latour to highlight his continued relevance and contribution to the practice of sociology. It is proposed that one way in which Latour might be usefully invented around is by bringing his work, particularly on matters of concern, into greater relation with Alain Touraine's concept of social conflicts where knowledge and morals are contested. This is argued to represent a unique conversation between Latour and Touraine which indicates one means by which Latour's work can be useful, especially for the study of narratives, social movements, and the environment and climate. The Latour-Touraine framework created by this conversation could help sociologists identify and critically analyse dominant values, perceptions and practices specifically concerning human-Nature relationships as a novel focus, alongside possibilities to challenge and re-negotiate these in response to pressing environmental and climate crises.