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Doing Actor-Network Theory: Integrating Network Analysis with Empirical Philosophy in the Study of Research Into Genetically Modified Organisms in New Zealand

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Doing Actor-Network Theory: Integrating Network Analysis with Empirical Philosophy in the Study of Research Into Genetically Modified Organisms in New Zealand Lincoln University Digital Thesis Copyright Statement The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: you will use the copy only for the purposes of research or private study you will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate you will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis. Doing Actor-Network Theory: Integrating network analysis with empirical philosophy in the study of research into Genetically Modified Organisms in New Zealand __________________________________ A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University by Sarah Edwards _______________________________ Lincoln University 2014 Abstract Abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Doing Actor-Network Theory: Integrating network analysis with empirical philosophy in the study of research into Genetically Modified Organisms in New Zealand by Sarah Edwards This thesis provides a critical examination of the theoretical and methodological tools provided by Actor-Network Theory (ANT). It does so by applying ANT to the analysis of research into Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in New Zealand: first, in the case of a particular programme of GMO research; second, by considering the organisation and control of GMO research in more general terms. While ANT as a field of scholarship has grown substantially since its development in the 1980s, the early network analyses upon which it was originally founded still offer the most substantial methodological guidelines for researchers. The first case study presented in this thesis examines whether network methodologies can be used to study and represent a present-day environmental controversy: the development of genetically modified “tearless” onions in New Zealand. Rather than follow a single existing framework for analysis, however, it uses a network representation that combines elements taken from three different approaches. In doing so it provides an interpretation of the outcomes of the tearless onion research project, identifying how network instability ultimately leads to the overall failure of the project. It also provides practical methodological guidelines for other researchers who are using ANT to study present-day controversies. Following this initial focus on the networks associated with a particular GMO research project, this thesis considers how more recent ANT “sensibilities” can be used to complement and extend network analysis more broadly. Prominent ANT scholars have moved away from network studies in recent years, opting instead to focus on discussions of ontological complexity, casting ANT as a form of empirical philosophy. This can be problematic for researchers in fields such as environmental management, where studies are usually driven by a need to formulate recommendations on practical concerns, and matters of philosophical enquiry are rarely an end in ii themselves. While ANT in its earlier, network-focused, formulations is evident in the environmental management literature, applications of recent theoretical developments are less common. The second case study presented in this thesis uses recent framings of “the object” of ANT research to study and represent a present-day environmental controversy: the containment of GMO research in New Zealand. In doing so it provides an interpretation of the risk management practices that direct GMO research in New Zealand and uses this to make recommendations for change. On a theoretical level, this thesis both bridges the gap between different eras of ANT scholarship, and provides a practical application of ANT’s more esoteric forms of analysis. Keywords Actor-Network Theory; methodology; Genetically Modified Organisms; risk management; biosecurity; science; New Zealand iii Acknowledgements I enrolled at Lincoln University as a Postgraduate student in early 2008. Although I didn’t have a particularly clear idea of what I wanted to study, I was absolutely sure I would be finished within a year. I ended up staying for nearly seven years, largely because of the staff and students I have met here, many of whom I now count as my friends. Special thanks go to my supervisors, Roy Montgomery and Suzanne Vallance, who have helped me through what has been the most mentally and emotionally challenging time of my life. Their individual skills as supervisors made them a perfect team, and between them they were able to alert me to the bigger picture whilst still keeping an eye on the details of what I was doing. I think the time it took me to get this thesis finished would have been a concern to most people, but somehow Roy and Su always seemed confident that I’d get there in the end (or at least they did a good job of hiding their true feelings!). I am very grateful for the financial support I have received whilst working on this thesis. When I began it as a Masters student I was supported by the Lincoln University Graduate Scholarship, the William Gao Postgraduate Scholarship, and the Heaton Rhodes Scholarship. Later, when I converted to a PhD, I was supported by the William Machin Doctoral Scholarship. I am also very grateful to my supervisor Suzanne Vallance for providing me with a steady stream of work opportunities that not only gave me an important source of income, but also broadened my skills and experience beyond the relatively narrow focus of my thesis. The years I have spent working on this thesis have coincided with a particularly turbulent time in the Canterbury region. The series of earthquakes that have hit Christchurch in recent years have made life anything but routine, and for me they have amplified the “usual” challenges associated with PhD study. The physical shake-ups I experienced from each bout of seismic activity were accompanied by a series of emotional upheavals that at many times posed a significant barrier to the progress of this thesis. The fact that I was (eventually) able to continue after each setback is testament to the unwavering support of my family and friends. Special thanks go to my parents and grandparents who never once questioned why I was “still a student”, offering instead their whole-hearted support and belief in what I was doing. But most of all I’d like to thank my little girl, Hayley, who certainly introduced an interesting set of challenges to my life, but also gave me a very good reason to succeed at what I was doing. iv Table of contents Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... iv Table of contents ................................................................................................................................ v List of Figures .................................................................................................................................... ix Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objects, subjects, and projects ................................................................................................ 2 1.1.1 Being selective ................................................................................................................... 3 1.1.2 Being partial ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.1.3 “Doing” Actor-Network Theory ......................................................................................... 8 1.2 Research objectives .................................................................................................................. 9 1.3 Thesis overview ...................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2 .......................................................................................................................................... 14 Background ...................................................................................................................................... 14 2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 14 2.2 The changing New Zealand science system ........................................................................... 15 2.3 Biosecurity and the containment of GMO research .............................................................. 18 2.4 Decision-making on GMO research under the HSNO Act ...................................................... 22 2.5 Public action against GMO research in New Zealand ...........................................................
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