Diffracting the ‘quantum’ and the ‘social’: Meeting the Universe Halfway in social science

Dunk, Richard ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9834-309X (2019) Diffracting the ‘quantum’ and the ‘social’: Meeting the Universe Halfway in social science. Cultural Studies - Critical Methodologies, 20 (3). pp. 225-234. ISSN 1532-7086

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Abstract

The ‘quantum’ label has become a desirable brand in social studies, with notable prominence being given to Karen Barad’s agential realism, as presented in her book Meeting the Universe Halfway (2007). This article provides an overview of the key ideas in the book, exemplifying the ways these ideas may help us ‘do inquiry’ in the social sciences. By drawing from Barad’s writing and making comparisons with other social thinking with quantum elements (specifically Kirby, 2011 and Wendt, 2015), we can demonstrate the potential for productive and insightful avenues of investigation across interdisciplinary areas, particularly through a consideration of diffractive approaches to inquiry.