Metonymical Turn. Sociology of Things Vs Sociology of Technologies

Abstract

Recent trends in Russian theoretical sociology (due to omnivorous reception of actor-network theory) discovered a very peculiar paradox. On one side, proponents of «material turn» manifested an open denial of metaphorical way of conceptualization in favor of a metonymical one. On another side they openly demonstrate all symptoms of technophobia and wish to free materiality studies from sociology of technology. We will show that it is happening due to misunderstanding of metonymy by theoretical sociologists working in the field of sociology of things (Alexander Filippov, Victor Vakhshtayn etc.)