Contributions of sociomateriality to organizational studies based on the theory of communicative action: Possibilities for dialogues between Jürgen Habermas and Karen Barad

Abstract

This essay aims to identify the potential contribution that a theoretical perspective based on sociomateriality can offer to organizational studies based on Jürgen Habermas’ concepts. We work specifically with one of the theoretical strands that contemplate sociomateriality - New Materialism based on Barad - and with the most recurrent Habermasian concepts, such as communicative action, the public sphere, worlds of life, and the system. We identify that Habermas’ theoretical work is open to dialogue with the sociomaterial perspective and outline a framework highlighting the main points of convergence and divergence between Habermas and Barad’s proposals, specifying the possibilities for integration. Overall, the analyses argue that it is possible to incorporate sociomaterial perspectives into empirical studies involving the Theory of Communicative Action and the main related ideas.

Keywords:
Sociomaterial; Ontology; Communicative action; Organizational studies