Material matters: Recommendations for the analysis of relational spaces in sociotechnical transition studies

Ioannis Lykouras and Luca Mora

Technology in Society, 2025, vol. 80, issue C

Abstract: This article examines the interplay between materiality, relational spaces, and technological change dynamics. The objective is to introduce a novel theoretical perspective and a structured analytical process designed to enrich the investigation of relational spaces within the context of sociotechnical transitions. Our perspective aims to help transition scholars integrate the often-overlooked importance of material arrangements with the analysis of material flows and social components. We interpret this integration as a morphological approach to the analysis of relational spaces. The development of our perspective is grounded in a thorough review of existing literature on transition studies, complemented by the application of the theory of space constitution. Through our theoretical contribution, we advance the spatial discourse in transition studies, offering the means required to produce novel insights into how diverse social and material dimensions of spatial contexts affect, and are affected by, sociotechnical transition pathways and the technological change they produce.

Keywords: Sociotechnical transitions; Technological change; Relational space; Morphological approach; Spatial context; Materiality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X24003129
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:80:y:2025:i:c:s0160791x24003129

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102764

Access Statistics for this article

Technology in Society is currently edited by Charla Griffy-Brown

More articles in Technology in Society from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().