A Novel Exposition Of Assemblage Theory

Manuel DeLanda has been a prominent exponent of the theory of assemblage for English-speaking readers for at to the lowest degree x year...

Manuel DeLanda has been a prominent exponent of the theory of assemblage for English-speaking readers for at to the lowest degree x years. His 2006 majority link, link, link). DeLanda has directly published a novel handling of the subject, Assemblage Theory. As I've pointed out inward the before discussions, I observe assemblage theory to hold out helpful for sociology too the philosophy of social scientific discipline because it provides a real appropriate way of conceptualizing the heterogeneity of the social world. The majority is good worth discussing.

To start, DeLanda insists that the French term "agencement" has greater semantic depth than its English linguistic communication translation, assemblage. "Assemblage" picks upward i component of the pregnant of agencement -- the production of putting together a laid of heterogeneous parts -- but it loses altogether the implications of procedure too activity inward the French term. He quotes a passage inward which Deleuze too Parnet explicate component of the pregnant of assemblage (agencement) (1):

What is an assemblage? It is a multiplicity which is made upward of many heterogeneous terms too which establishes liaisons, relations betwixt them, across ages, sexes too reigns -- unlike natures. This, the assemblage's solely unity is that of a co-functioning: it is a symbiosis, a 'sympathy'. It is never filiations which are important, but alliances, alloys; these are non successions, lines of descent, but contagions, epidemics, the wind. (Dialogues II, 69)

This passage from Deleuze too Parnet highlights the centre thought of an assemblage bringing together heterogeneous pieces into a novel whole. It also signals the of import distinction for Deleuze betwixt interiority too exteriority. DeLanda explicates this distinction every bit indicating the nature of the relations with the elements. "Interior" relations with things are essential, logical, or semantic; whereas outside relations are contingent too non-essential. Identifying a twain every bit hubby too married adult woman is to seat an interior relation; identifying a twain every bit a woman somebody architect too a manful somebody nighttime fellowship bouncer is an outside relation. This is what Deleuze too Parnet refer to when they refer to alliances, alloys, contagions, epidemics: conjunctions of otherwise independent things or processes.

Let's aspect at around of the high-level concepts that play an of import role inward DeLanda's exposition.

Individuals

DeLanda makes the of import ontological indicate that assemblages are individuals: historically unique persistent configurations. "Assemblages take away keep a fully contingent historical identity, too each of them is hence an private entity: an private person, an private community, an private organization, an private city" (19).

All assemblages should hold out considered unique historical entities, singular inward their individuality, non every bit item members of a full general category. But if this is so, so nosotros should hold out able to specify the individuation procedure that gave nativity to them. (6)

In other words, the whole [assemblage] is immanent, non transcendent. Communities or organizations are historically individuated entities, every bit much so every bit the persons that compose them.... It is non incoherent to speak of private communities, private organizations, private cities, or private countries. The term 'individual' has no preferential affinity for a item scale (persons or organisms) but refers to whatsoever entity that  is historically unique. (13)

These passages larn inward clear that the thought of an private is non restricted to i ontological aeroplane (biological human organism), but is rather available at all levels (individual, undertaking union, farmers' cooperative, city, corporation, army).

Parameters

Several of import meta-level distinctions well-nigh relations with components of an assemblage arise inward DeLanda's exposition. The distinction betwixt relational interiority too exteriority is familiar from his before exposition inward New Philosophy. Interior relations are conceptual or intrinsic -- uncle to nephew. Exterior relations are contingent -- street vendor to policeman. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 2nd distinction that DeLanda discusses is coded/decoded. This distinction also is developed extensively inward New Philosophy. Relations that are substantially fixed past times a code -- a grammar, a specific laid of rules of behavior, a genetic computer program -- are said to hold out coded; relations that are substantially indeterminate too left to the choices of the participants are decoded. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 3rd distinction that DeLanda discusses inward Assemblage Theory is that betwixt stratum too assemblage. An assemblage is a concrete item consisting of heterogeneous parts; a stratum is a to a greater extent than or less uniform grouping of things (organisms, institutions).

Here is a passage from New Philosophy on the concept of coded relations:

[Organizations] do involve rules, such every bit those governing turn-taking. The to a greater extent than formal too stiff the rules, the to a greater extent than these social encounters may hold out said to hold out coded. But inward around circumstances these rules may hold out weakened giving rising to assemblages inward which the participants take away keep to a greater extent than room to limited their convictions too their ain personal styles. (16)

And inward Assemblage Theory:

The coding parameter is i of the knobs nosotros must create into the concept [of assemblage], the other existence territorialisation, a parameter measurement the grade to which the components of the assemblage take away keep been subjected to a procedure of homogenisation, too the extent to which its defining boundaries take away keep been delineated too made impermeable. (3)

(In a afterwards send service I volition verbalise over DeLanda's elbow grease to subsume each of these distinctions nether the thought of a parameter or "knob" inflecting a item concept of assemblage (city, linguistic practice). Also of involvement at that topographic point volition hold out DeLanda's elbow grease to empathize the ontology of assemblage too stratum inward analogy with the thought inward physics of a stage infinite (gas, liquid, solid).)

Emergence

DeLanda believes that assemblage theory depends on the thought of emergence for macro-level properties:

The real offset criterion inward this chore is to devise a agency to block micro-reductionism, a criterion unremarkably achieved past times the concept of emergent properties, the properties of a whole caused past times the interactions betwixt its parts. If a social whole has novel properties that emerge from interactions betwixt people, its reduction to a mere aggregate of many rational decision-makers or many phenomenological experiences is effectively blocked. (9)

Notice that this is a weak innovation of emergence; the emergent belongings is distinguished exactly past times the fact that it is non an aggregation of the properties of the private components. This does non imply that the belongings is non derivable from a theory of the properties of the parts too the causal interactions with them. (Several before posts take away keep raised questions well-nigh the validity of the thought of emergence; link.)

And inward fact DeLanda presently says around surprising things well-nigh emergence too the relations betwixt higher-level too lower-level properties:

The belongings of density, too the capacity to shop reputations too enforce norms, are non-reducible properties too capacities of the entire community, but neither involves thinking of it every bit a seamless totality inward which the real personal identity of the members is created past times their relations. (11)

Up to the aeroplane of national markets the primary emergent belongings of these increasingly larger trading areas is synchronized cost movements. Braudel uncovers prove that average wholesale prices (determined generally past times demand too supply) displace upward too downward inward unison inside urban regions, provinces, or entire countries. (15)

These are surprising claims every bit illustrations of emergence, because all of the properties mentioned hither are inward fact reducible to facts well-nigh the properties of individuals too their relations. Density is plainly so; nosotros tin dismiss derive density past times measurement the number of individuals per unit of measurement of space. The capacity of a grouping to shop reputations is also a straight lawsuit of individuals' might to recall facts well-nigh other individuals too communicate their memories to others. The community's representation of "reputation" is cypher over too inward a higher house this distributed laid of beliefs too interactions. And the fact of synchronized cost movements over an extended trading expanse likewise has perfectly visible microfoundations at the private level: communications too transportation technologies allow traders to accept wages of momentary cost differentials inward unlike places, leading to a style for all accessible points inside the portion to discover prices that are synchronized with each other (modulo the transportation costs that be betwixt points).

These observations Pb me to suspect that the concept of emergence is non doing much existent piece of job here. The paraphrase that DeLanda offers every bit a summary conclusion is correct:

Thus, both 'the Market' too 'the State' tin dismiss hold out eliminated from a realist ontology past times a nested laid of private emergent wholes operating at unlike scales. (16)

But this observation does non imply or presuppose the thought of potent emergence.

It seems, then, that nosotros could seat aside the linguistic communication of emergence too residue on the claim that assemblages at diverse levels take away keep stable properties that tin dismiss hold out investigated empirically too historically; at that topographic point is no demand for reduction to a to a greater extent than key level. So assemblage theory is anti-reductionist too is eclectic with regard to the enquiry of levels of the social world. We tin dismiss formulate concepts of social entities at a broad arrive at of levels too adjust those concepts to the basic thought of assemblage, too at that topographic point is no demand for seeking out inter-level reductions. But likewise at that topographic point is no demand to insist on the obscure thought of potent emergence.

Assemblage theory too social realism

This handling of social theory from the indicate of sentiment of assemblage theory is distinctly friendly to the linguistic communication of realism. DeLanda argues that assemblages are real, mind-independent, too ontologically stable. Assemblages are inward the dry reason too tin dismiss hold out treated every bit independent private things. Here is a representative statement:

The distinction betwixt a concept too its cases also has an ontological aspect. The concept itself is a production of our minds too would non be without them, but concrete assemblages must hold out considered to hold out fully independent of our minds. This disputation must hold out qualified, because inward the instance of social assemblages similar communities, organizations, too cities, the assemblages would cease to be if our minds disappeared. So inward this instance nosotros should say that social assemblages are independent of the content of our minds, that is, independent of the way inward which communities, organizations, too cities are conceived. This is exactly around other way of maxim that assemblage theory operates inside a realist ontology. (138)

The most of import transcendent entity that nosotros must human face too eliminate is the i postulated to explicate the existence too endurance of autonomous entities: essences. (139)

Both points are crucial. DeLanda emphasizes that social entities (assemblages) are existent items inward the social world, with a temporally too causally persistent reality; too he denies that the ideas of "essence", "kind", or "inner nature" take away keep a role inward science. This is an anti-essentialist realism, too it is a highly appropriate basis for social ontology.

Appraisal

There is much to a greater extent than to verbalise over inward DeLanda's electrical current handling of assemblage, too I hold back to render to other issues inward afterwards posts. What I observe specially interesting well-nigh DeLanda's electrical current majority are the noun observations DeLanda makes well-nigh diverse historical formations -- cities, governments, modes of production, capitalism. Assemblage theory is of existent value for social scientists solely if it provides a ameliorate vocabulary for describing social entities too causes. And DeLanda's illustrations brand a persuasive instance for this conclusion.

For example, inward discussing Braudel on the departure betwixt markets too capitalism he writes:

These are powerful words. But how tin dismiss anyone dare to propose that nosotros must distinguish capitalism from the marketplace economy? These 2 terms are, for both the left too the right, strictly synonymous. However, a unopen exam of the history of commercial, financial, too industrial organizations shows that at that topographic point is indeed a crucial difference, too that ignoring it leads to a distortion of our historical explanations. (41)

This give-and-take has around important parallels with the handling of the modern economic scheme offered past times Dave Elder-Vass discussed before (link). And DeLanda's closing observation inward chapter 1 is quite insightful:

Much of the academic left today has larn prey to the double danger of politically targeting reified generalities (Power, Resistance, Capital, Labour) acre at the same fourth dimension abandoning realism. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 novel left may notwithstanding emerge from these ashes but solely if it recovers its basis on a mind-independent reality too if it focuses its efforts at the right social scale, that is, if it leaves behind the dream of a Revolution that changes the entire system. This is where assemblage theory may i solar daytime brand a existent difference. (48)

More than the logical exposition of diverse esoteric concepts associated with assemblage, it is DeLanda's intelligent characterization of diverse concrete social too historical processes (for example, his extensive give-and-take of Braudel inward chapter 1) that cements the intellectual importance of assemblage theory for historical too social scientific thinking.

Another of import virtue of the handling hither is that DeLanda makes a potent instance for a social ontology that is both anti-reductionist too anti-essentialist. Social things take away keep properties that nosotros don't demand to elbow grease to cut down to properties of ensembles of components; but social things are non transcendent, essential wholes whose deportment is independent from the activities of the individuals too lower-level configurations of which they consist. Further, this sentiment of social ontology has an of import implication that DeLanda explicitly calls out: nosotros demand to recognize the fact of downward causation from social configurations (individual assemblages) to the actions of the individuals too lesser configurations of which they consist. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 community embodying a laid of norms well-nigh deference too respectful deportment inward fact elicits these forms of deportment inward the individuals who brand upward the community. This is so through the real ordinary fact that individuals monitor each others' deportment too sometimes retaliate when norms are breached. (This was the sentiment of community social might developed several decades agone past times Michael Taylor; Community, Anarchy too Liberty.)