Under the Nazi regime in Germany (1933-1945) a calculated killing of chronic “mentally ill” patients took place that was part of a large biopolitical program using well-established, contemporary scientific standards on the understanding of eugenics. Nearly 300,000 patients were assassinated during this period. Nurses executed this program through their everyday practice. However, suspicions have been raised that psychiatric patients were already assassinated before and after the Nazi regime, suggesting that the motives for these killings must be investigated within psychiatric practice itself. My research aims to highlight the mechanisms and scientific discourses in place that allowed nurses to perceive patients as unworthy of life, and thus able to be killed. Using Foucauldian concepts of “biopower” and “State racism,” this discourse analysis is carried out on several levels. First, it analyzes nursing notes in one specific patient record and interprets them in relation to the kinds of scientific discourses that are identified, for example, in nursing journals between 1900 and 1945. Second, it argues that records are not static but rather produce certain effects; they are “performative” because they are active agents. Psychiatry, with its need to make patients completely visible and its desire to maintain its dominance in the psychiatric field, requires the utilization of writing in order to register everything that happens to individuals, everything they do and everything they talk about. Furthermore, writing enables nurses to pass along information from the “bottom-up,” and written documents allow all information to be accessible at any time. It is a method of centralizing information and of coordinating different levels within disciplinary systems. By following this approach it is possible to demonstrate that the production of meaning within nurses’ notes is not based on the intentionality of the writer but rather depends on discursive patterns constructed by contemporary scientific discourses. Using a form of “institutional ethnography,” the study analyzes documents as “inscriptions” that actively interven in interactions in institutions and that create a specific reality on their own accord. The question is not whether the reality represented within the documents is true, but rather how documents worked in institutions and what their effects were. Third, the study demonstrates how nurses were actively involved in the construction of patients’ identities and how these “documentary identities” led to the death of thousands of humans whose lives were considered to be “unworthy lives.” Documents are able to constitute the identities of psychiatric patients and, conversely, are able to deconstruct them. The result of de-subjectification was that “zones for the unliving” existed in psychiatric hospitals long before the Nazi regime and within these zones, patients were exposed to an increased risk of death. An analysis of the nursing notes highlights that nurses played a decisive role in constructing these “zones” and had an important strategic function in them. Psychiatric hospitals became spaces where patients were reduced to a “bare life;” these spaces were comparable with the concentration camps of the Holocaust. This analysis enables the integration of nursing practices under National Socialism into the history of modernity. Nursing under Nazism was not simply a relapse into barbarism; Nazi exclusionary practices were extreme variants of scientific, social, and political exclusionary practices that were already in place. Different types of power are identifiable in the Nazi regime, even those that Foucault called “technologies of the self” were demonstrated, for example, by the denunciation of “disabled persons” by nurses. Nurses themselves were able to employ techniques of power in the Nazi regime.

There has been great scholarly interest in examining the management, proliferation, and dynamic articulations of borders through an actor-network lens in recent years. In tracing the networks of Mohamed Harkat, the irregular arrival of a particular group of Tamil migrants, and Deepan Budlakoti, I demonstrate how the border is a fluid entity composed of socio-technical actors dispersed across time and space capable of producing varying degrees of membership statuses. In exploring the cases of these non-citizens, this thesis aims to understand what each of these multi-level networks tells us about the notion of borders and bordering practices alike. This study contributes to the expanding literature that situates the border as a fluid and malleable entity that is made up of interwoven socio-technical practices, discourses, symbols, institutions, and networks through which power is dispersed and the binary distinctions between membership and non-membership increasingly become layered concepts.

Focusing on the potential use of telemedicine among other efforts for better treatment of stroke patients, this study explored the role of telemedicine in the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. To this end, fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with physicians, specialists, neurologists, and decision makers from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). Actor-network and diffusion of innovations theories provided a theoretical framework for this exploratory qualitative study. The study was intended: 1) to find out about the major challenges and problems associated with managing stroke patients in Afghanistan; 2) to explore the perceptions of Afghan health professionals about the application of telemedicine as a means of improving the delivery of health services for stroke patients in Afghanistan; and 3) to understand the perceived barriers to knowledge sharing and to ascertain the potential role of telemedicine in knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. The findings of this study demonstrated that almost all of the participants were optimistic about the potential positive role telemedicine could play in the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. Some important existing organisational, socio-economic, geographical, security, and cultural barriers to the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan were revealed. To the best knowledge of the researcher, there has been no study of this kind conducted in Afghanistan yet; thus, the findings of this study will likely contribute to the development of health communication in the context of Afghanistan, and could likely be used as a resource for future research about the applications of telemedicine in various medical specialities.

Improvement in information sharing and communication about the foreign aid resources between the donors and the aid-recipient countries have always been considered very important. In recent years, the integration of advanced technology in the area of aid coordination has received a tremendous amount of attention. The following thesis studies the influence of technology in the area aid coordination within the context of Afghanistan. Guided by the Actor-Network Theory, the thesis examines how the social and technological aspects of the Development Assistance Database (DAD), as an advanced aid information management technology, influences aid coordination and information sharing between the donors and the government of Afghanistan. Using a case study methodology, the research also investigates whether or not the DAD adheres to the principles of aid effectiveness. The findings reveal that although technology had a profound impact in the area of aid management in Afghanistan, there are several areas that still face challenges. The present study highlights these challenges and recommends the appropriate solutions.

Empirical studies that reviewed e-government status in developing countries found that e-government research scholars preferred to ask, ‘What is happening?’ rather than ‘Why is it happening?’. This showed little use of theory when it came to e-government study. Although high failure rates can happen anywhere, e-government research seemingly forgets to raise the question of why. To fill this gap, actor-network theory (ANT) was employed by this thesis as an analytical lens to investigate the failure case study of the Smart ID Card project, which was expected to revolutionise Thai public services with a single multi-propose ID card. Critical realism was the philosophical standpoint that framed the basic thinking in this study. It was intended to reflect on the e-government failure phenomenon; query its realities, and find a new set of answers. To achieve the aim of this study, both documentary research and in-depth interviews with relevant key persons were conducted, in order to synthesise the casual relationship and failure mechanisms in the Smart ID Card project. Firstly, the lens of ANT observed the causes of failure that originated from the problematization process, which referred to the role of the focal actor, the Cabinet, and less room for other actors (e.g. main public agencies and citizens) to negotiate in forming the actor-network of the Smart ID Card project. This led to unrealistic, unreachable objectives in the actor-network and opened the door to failure right from the beginning. Secondly, the interessement process, which had great importance in locking actors into position, was incomplete. Thus, the focal actor failed to enact standardisation, laws, regulations and a budget through negligence or lack of concern. This resulted in the failure of both human and non-human actors to enter the actor-network. Thirdly, the uncontrolled chaos in the enrolment process weakened endurance of the actor-network in facing its obstacles, for example, the emergence of a counter-network, which aimed to attack the main actor-network, the transformation of a non-human actor (Smart ID Card) that became a Trojan actor, and the instability of the focal actor. These obstacles brought disassociation among actors in the actor-network and led to the final moment, the betrayal. Fourthly, the betrayal resulted from errors in the earlier moments, which caused betrayal everywhere in the actor-network. All relevant human and non-human actors betrayed the actor-network by not working or supporting it properly in attempting to achieve its goals. Finally, the actor-network of the Smart ID Card project collapsed and could not function to reach its objectives. This meant that the Smart ID Card project did not revolutionise Thai public services as planned. This thesis is one of few theory based-works that contribute to the use of ANT modification as a unique vehicle for investigating failure phenomenon, especially in e-government projects in developing countries. The lessons learned from the story of failure in this study provide new solutions that open the door to successful e-government development.

The implementation of information technology and its impact on organisational change has been an important phenomenon, discussed in the IS literature over the last 30 years. Treating information system (IS) implementation as organisational change is a complex phenomenon. This complexity is mainly due to its multidisciplinary, socio-technical, dynamic and non-linear nature. This challenging nature of IS implementation complexities has a direct relationship to the IS implementation project outcomes - its success or failure. In view of this complexity, this research aims to understand how process studies can improve the understanding of enterprise system implementation. We argue that the socio-technical nature of IS development is inevitable thus the only way to go forward is to explore and understand the phenomenon. Following this, we adopt the stakeholder's perspective solely for the purpose of identification of stakeholders and their embedded interests and expectations. While prior research concentrated on a limited number of stakeholders of IS, we attempt to adopt Pouloudi et al. (2004) in mobilizing a stakeholder perspective to incorporate non-human stakeholders within the analysis. Within the actor-network perspective, complexity is resolved through simplification (black-boxing) - unpacking or collapsing the complexity. However, during this simplification process, the risk of removing useful description of the phenomenon through labelling was avoided. To support this research, the punctuated socio-technical information systems change (PSIC) model was applied. In this model, interactions and relationships between its components (antecedent condition, process, outcomes and organisational context) play a vital role. This research focuses on the implementation of an integrated financial system in three Malaysian universities through three interpretive case studies. Our findings show that each of our case studies provides a unique IS development trajectory. Following stakeholder analysis, the different cases provide interesting combinations of conflicts and coalitions among human and non-human stakeholders which further dictates the project outcomes or the process of IS black-boxing. The relationship between the three case studies on the other hand provides an interesting illustration of IS technology transfer.

Denna uppsats bygger på en observationsstudie som undersöker den aktivitetsbaserade kontorsmiljön utifrån hur den fysiska platsen och miljön styr och styrs av de människor och objekt som befinner sig på platsen. Syftet är att bidra till en djupare förståelse för hur makt kan manifesteras genom att handlande möjliggörs, uppmuntras och begränsas i fysiska rum, såväl av objekten som av människorna som befinner sig på platsen. Till skillnad från tidigare studier i fältet, som främst har fokuserat på hur det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet påverkat de anställdas hälsa, välmående och motivation, så ämnar denna uppsats att deskriptivt kartlägga den studerade kontorsmiljön och hur interaktionen mellan aktanter på arbetsplatsen ter sig. Detta görs genom att genomföra en deltagande observationsstudie på en arbetsplats med aktivitetsbaserad kontorsmiljö. Genom att utveckla och använda en teoretisk ansats baserad på främst Actor network theory utgångspunkter, Akrich (1992) begrepp script och de Certeaus (1984) begreppspar strategier och taktiker analyserar vi våra observationer på arbetsplatsen i strävan att undersöka hur aktanters handlande styr och styrs av den miljö de är en del av på kontoret. Studiens resultat visar att den aktivitetsbaserade kontorsmiljön i flera avseenden inte skiljer sig, eller skiljer sig marginellt, i praktiken från så kallade traditionella kontorslandskap. Kontorets utformning är beroende av de sociala och arbetsrelaterade relationerna mellan kollegor, som många gånger i högre grad förklarar strukturen på nätverket och dess möjliggörande av ett visst sätt att handla. Vidare visar analysen att vissa aktanter blir obligatoriska passagepunkter som definierar, formar och styr sin omgivning i relativt hög utsträckning. Produkten av relationerna på kontoret är den makt som manifesteras. Denna makt finns i alla typer av handlingar, men visar sig också vara en del av traditionellt studerade makrostrukturer som exempelvis intressekonflikten mellan arbete och kapital.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap om hur några utbildade montessorilärare ser på lek i montessoripedagogiken. Genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer har deltagarna delat med sig av sina tankar om lekens betydelse och deras roll i leken inom montessoriförskolan. Resultatet visar att det finns olika syn på vad som är lek i en montessoriförskola, och ett mer enhälligt resultat när det gäller montessorilärarens roll i leken. De roller som deltagarna lyfter är observatör och passiv roll, vägvisare, aktivt närvarande och stöttepelare samt miljön som ordinarie pedagog. För att förstå mitt resultat har jag använt mig av aktör-nätverksteorin som teoretisk utgångspunkt, då den relaterar bra till resultatet av intervjuerna. / The purpose of the study is to contribute with knowledge of how some educated Montessori teachers perceive play in Montessori pedagogy. Through qualitative semi structured interviews the participants have shared their thoughts about the meaning of play and their role in children´s play in Montessori preschool. The results show that the teachers have different views of the role of play in Montessori, and a more unanimous view regarding the role of the Montessori teacher. The roles that the participants raise are observer and passive role, guide, active present and supporter as well as the environment as a regular teacher. To understand my result, I have been inspired by the actor-network theory as a starting point, as it relates to the results of the interviews.

O objetivo central da tese foi compreender como se configura a aprendizagem nos processos organizativos de desastres. Realizei uma pesquisa qualitativa à luz da teoria ator-rede como inspiração teórico-metodológica, a partir do crime-desastre da Samarco/Vale/BHP Billiton ocorrido em novembro de 2015. Na primeira discussão teórica da tese, busquei aproximar processualmente os atos de organizar e aprender, por meio do conceito de aprendizagem organizativa. Na segunda discussão teórica, analisei as questões contemporâneas sobre a temática dos desastres do Brasil, propondo que os desastres são efeitos disruptivos em uma rede de relações heterogêneas, desiguais, atemporais e multiterritoriais, sendo as vulnerabilidades e os perigos constituídos relacionalmente. A pesquisa foi constituída por uma fase preliminar/exploratória e três momentos de imersão no campo: na etapa preliminar realizei um aprofundamento empírico sobre os desastres, especialmente a partir de experiências brasileiras; os três momentos de imersão foram no caso do desastre das empresas, com enfoque para os desdobramentos do desastre no Estado do Espírito Santo. Ao longo do primeiro ano do desastre-crime da Samarco/Vale/BHP, coletei e analisei 1.297 documentos, entrevistas (formais e informais) e registros em diários de campo. Todos os dados foram inseridos no software de análise qualitativa Atlas.ti. A metodologia e a análise dos dados foram realizadas a partir do mapeamento das principais controvérsias que emergiram das relações entre os atores do estudo, uma das possibilidades da teoria ator-rede enquanto método e que se constitui uma das contribuições desta pesquisa A partir das discussões teóricas e empíricas, foi possível observar que os desastres geram uma latência organizativa, que se constitui num estado abstrato e transitório de disposição para aprender a organizar. Essa latência impulsiona os processos de aprendizagem organizativa, que são os modos de cooperar e se fazer coletivamente, em movimento e instáveis, cognoscíveis pelo aprender e pelos saberes-em-ato (knowing); eles são estabelecidos numa rede de relações heterogêneas em múltiplas formas de espacialidades, podendo se inscrever e formar uma tessitura de práticas, sendo que as condições de possibilidades para a sua realização e participação não são dadas, podendo também servir como um meio para superar, combater as desigualdades, e formar outros fazeres e práticas. Pelas imersões de campo, foi possível analisar que os processos de aprendizagem organizativa se configuraram de modo excludente, nos quais alguns atores (como os sujeitos atingidos pelo desastre das empresas) foram ausências-presentes nesses processos. Dada a dinâmica formada pela exclusão e pelas tensões originadas nos conflitos, desigualdades e divergências (controvérsias), os processos organizativos se tornaram múltiplos, oportunizando que os sujeitos excluídos de algumas práticas organizativas pudessem aprender a se organizar em outras relações, para superar e combater as desigualdades geradas nos desastres. / The main objective of the thesis was to understand how learning is configured in organizational processes of disasters. I conducted a qualitative research in the light of actor-network theory as a theoretical-methodological inspiration, starting from the Samarco/Vale/BHP Billiton crime-disaster that occurred in November of 2015. In the first theoretical discussion of the thesis, I tried to procedurally approach the acts of organizing and learning, through the concept of organizational learning. In the second theoretical discussion, I analyzed contemporary issues on Brazil's disasters, proposing that disasters are disruptive effects in a network of heterogeneous, unequal, timeless and multi-territorial relations, with vulnerabilities and dangers being constituted relationally. The research consisted of a preliminary/exploratory phase and three moments of immersion in the field: in the preliminary stage I realized an empirical deepening on the disasters, especially from Brazilian experiences; the three moments of immersion were in the case of the disaster of the companies, with focus on the unfolding of the disaster in the State of Espírito Santo. Throughout the first year of the Samarco/Vale/BHP crime-disaster, I collected and analyzed 1,297 documents, interviews (formal and informal) and records in field journals. All data were entered into the qualitative analysis software Atlas.ti. The methodology and data analysis were performed from the mapping of the main controversies that emerged from the relations between the actors of the study, one of the possibilities of actor-network theory as a method and that is one of the contributions of this research From the theoretical and empirical discussions, it was possible to observe that disasters generate an organizational latency, which constitutes an abstract and transitory state of disposition to learn how to organize. This latency drives the processes of organizational learning, which are ways of cooperating and doing collectively, moving and unstable, knowable by learning and knowing-in-act; they are established in a network of heterogeneous relations in multiple forms of spatiality, and can register and form a texture of practices, and the conditions of possibilities for their realization and participation are not given, and can also serve as a means to overcome, combat inequalities, and to form other doings and practices. Due to the field immersions, it was possible to analyze that organizational learning processes were configured in an exclusive way, in which some actors (such as the subjects affected by corporate disaster) were present-absences in these processes. Given the dynamics of exclusion and tensions arisen from conflicts, inequalities, and divergences (controversies), organizational processes became multiple, allowing the excluded subjects of some organizational practices to learn to organize in other relationships, to overcome and combat inequalities generated by disasters.

This study developed new mapping techniques and methodologies for understanding creativity in terms of connectivity and interaction between human and non-human actors in a design classroom. The researcher applied qualitative methods of data collection combining both observation of classroom activities and focus group interviews in order to map a creativity network. The findings indicate that creativity is a complex weather-like system (or what I call "creative climate") composed of many sub-networks and diffused networks. Four interactions emerged from the study: (a) the creative climate is composed of the circulation of bodies and objects forming networks and sub-networks, (b) centers and corners/edges are a measure of connectivity and interaction in classroom space design, (c) roundness is a measure of classroom style and the space of connectivity usage, and (d) plugs-in creativity is a measure of technology consolidation. This study attempted to fill the gap in the literature on creativity and classroom design by explaining the role of non-human actors in shaping the creative climate in the classroom, especially the role of the classroom space itself as an actor. The implication of this study in art education opens a new opportunity for research in designing innovative classrooms. Also, it will allow future investigation of the phenomenon of creativity as a climate system based on the interaction between human and non-human actors.