Eurograd message

                Dear colleagues,

Please find below and attached a call for contributions for the
journal *Statistique
et Société* on the theme "micropolitics of measurement". This call stems
from a workshop organized in June 2024 during the conference of the Society
for Social Studies of Quantification. *The deadline to send your abstract
is April 18, 2025.*

Best regards,

----

*Statistique et Société* – Call for Contributions

*Micropolitics of measurement*

Coordinators: Quentin Dufour (CNE, AMU), Camille Beaurepaire (Insee, CMH,
ENS), and Siyu Li (Irasia, AMU)

Since the 1990s, the field of Social Studies of Quantification (SSQ) has
emerged as an interdisciplinary field, probing the pervasive influence of
numbers across societal domains. This scholarly pursuit, featuring seminal
works (Desrosières 1998, Hopwood and Miller 1994, Porter 1995, Espeland and
Stevens 1998), spans an array of numerically framed artifacts, official
national and international statistics to specific objects such as financial
indices, corporate management indicators, and the quantified self,
attributable to the advent of digital technology (Didier, 2016; Diaz-Bone
and Didier, 2016; Berman and Hirschman, 2018; Mennicken and Espeland, 2019;
Mennicken and Salais, 2022).

Two pivotal research directions in quantification have been discerned, each
spotlighting different stages in the trajectory of numbers (Didier, 2021).
Firstly, the *socio-history of quantification *concentrates on the numbers
production stage, particularly the genesis of measurement categories.
Against a naturalized perspective on numbers, it unravels the
socio-political contexts within which these categories are produced. It
aims to demystify the origins, the interests steering their formation, and
the societal or political realities they unveil or obscure (Espeland 1993;
Adler 2002; Timmermans and Epstein 2010; Chiapello and Walter, 2016).
Secondly, the exploration extends beyond numbers production, dwelling on *the
uses of quantification*. Post-production, numbers begin to sculpt the
social landscape, wielding significant influence and authority in public
space (Porter, 1995). Inquiry along this direction shows the impact of
numbers: their role in governance, their influence on social behaviors, and
their capacity to forge new realms of subjectivity (Didier, 2011, 2018;
Desrosières, 2014; Bruno et al, 2014; Supiot, 2015; Miller, 2001;
Kurunmäki, Miller and Mennicken, 2016).

Navigating through these dual research pathways pinpoints the journey of
numbers from category production to practical uses. We aim to augment the
richness of SSQ by spotlighting an often overshadowed yet pivotal stage:
the activity of measurement. This stage occurs after the stabilization of
categories, where empirical elements are meticulously woven into
established categories, to obtain numbers that can circulate and be used.
Measurement activity, as defined here, encapsulates the pragmatic processes
where actors, mobilizing tools and expertise, curate data from the
empirical realm, aligning them with established categories. This nurtures
the production of numbers, honed for diverse applications. We follow here a
minor strand of research in SSQ developed by specific authors (Thévenot,
1983; Boltanski and Thévenot 1983; Desrosières and Thévenot, 2002). This
line of research has sometimes been followed in studies on statistics
(Caveng, 2012; Didier, 2020). Even more recently, work on new
quantified-self devices has captured the importance of measurement
practices in a singular form (Nafus, 2016).



Our approach seeks to enhance SSQ by spotlighting this overlooked yet
critical phase: the micropolitics of measurement. We propose to move beyond
the traditional segmentation of the number’s life cycle—namely, the
establishment of conventions and the use of numbers—focusing instead on the
relatively neglected juncture of these processes, which has been buried in
the routine of practitioners. This phase of the quantification process,
often unnoticed, involves intricate activities that elevate raw data to
authoritative figures, a journey that is as political as it is
technical. Drawing
on Infrastructure Studies (Star and Ruhleder, 1996; Bowker, 1996; Star,
1999; Edwards, 2010; Edwards et al. 2011), and Data Studies (Borgman, 2015;
Bates et al., 2016; Ebeling, 2016; Denis and Goëta, 2017; Leonelli and
Tempini, 2020), three research axes guide our inquiry:

1.     The Measure as a pivotal junction: We suggest measurement is the
pivotal yet missing piece in the trajectory of numbers. It encapsulates the
translation of empirical reality into quantifiable constructs, a process
teeming with implicit choices and political underpinnings.

2.     Bridging Socio-History and Measurement: In the socio-historical
realm, we revisit the classical dyad of convention and measurement. Rather
than treating them as distinct, we explore their interconnectedness and the
degree to which they inform one another, thus enriching the tapestry of SSQ
with questions of creation and continuity.

3.     Anticipating the Impact of Usage: Recognizing that measurement is
situated upstream in the trajectory of numbers, we also glimpse the
foreshadowed questions of usage. Our perspective preemptively engages with
how numbers, once measured, exert influence and shape actions within their
subsequent domains of application.

Through this refined lens, the micropolitics of measurement invites a
robust interrogation of data’s genesis, flow, categorization, and the
resultant societal perceptions. It urges us to consider how data authority
is established and the ensuing tensions within categorical confines.
Moreover, it challenges us to scrutinize how practitioners mediate these
intricacies during the measurement act. These explorations form the basis
for a deeper understanding of the embedded politics within SSQ, heralding a
new chapter of research in this dynamic field.

The expected articles will be based on a rich empirical material, and may
address but are not limited to the following questions:

§  What processes give rise to data?

§  Through what channels does data traverse and exchange hands?

§  In what ways are the complexities of the world distilled into defined
categories?

§  What role do measurement practices play in crafting our perceptions of
reality?

§  How do numerical figures acquire their authoritative stance, and in
whose eyes? What lends credence to these figures during the measurement
process?

§  In what manner do the rigors of measurement strain or reaffirm the
integrity of established categories?

§  How do practitioners within the measurement domain navigate the inherent
tensions and resolve the conflicts that arise from their activities?

*Practical information*

As a first step, contributors are invited to submit an *expression of
interest (5,000 to 7,000 characters, or 3 to 4 pages)*, clearly presenting
the research question, the sources and materials used, the analytical tools
mobilized and the expected results.

These expressions of interest must be *sent by April 18, 2025 to the
journal editorial committee* on the following address:
contribution-statsociete@framalistes.org.
 Please mention in the subject
line *“Micropolitics of Measurement – Expression of Interest”*.

Authors whose projects have been selected will be informed one month later
(May 19, 2025) and must *send their complete article by September 7, 2025*.

Articles will be evaluated by referees from outside the editorial board, in
accordance with the current procedure (see “Evaluation of articles”). The
publication of the special issue is scheduled for the first half of 2026

For further details on article format and presentation expectations, please
consult the “Instructions to Authors” on the journal’s website.

If you need any further information, please contact the coordinators:

quentin.dufour@cnrs.fr

beaurepaire.camille@gmail.com

siyu.li@univ-amu.fr

*About the journal** Statistique et Société*

The journal *Statistique et Société*
 was created in 2013, with the
aim of publishing analysis on the sources, roles, effects and uses of
statistics and quantifications in modern societies. As an interdisciplinary
journal, it publishes articles grounded in the field of social studies of
quantification.

*References*

Alder, K. (2002). *The Measure of All Things: The Seven-year Odyssey and
Hidden Error that Transformed the World*. Simon and Schuster.

Bates, J., Lin, Y.-W., & Goodale, P. (2016). Data journeys: Capturing the
socio-material constitution of data objects and flows. *Big Data & Society*,
3(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951716654502

Berman, E., Hirschman, D., (2018). The Sociology of Quantification: Where
Are We Now?. *Contemporary Sociology*, 47(3), 257-266.

Boltanski, L., & Thévenot, L. (1983). Finding one's way in social space: a
study based on games. *Social science information*, 22(4-5), 631-680.

Borgman, C., (2015). *Big Data, Little Data, No Data. Scholarship in the
Networked World*. The MIT Press.

Bowker, G. (1996). The history of information infrastructures: the case of
the international classification of diseases. *Information Processing and
Management*, 32(1) 42-61.

Bowker, G., & Star, S. L. (1999). *Sorting things out. Classification and
its consequences*. The MIT Press.

Bruno, I., Didier, E., & Vitale, T. (2014). Statactivism: Forms of Action
between Disclosure and Affirmation. *Partecipazione e conflitto. The Open
Journal of Sociopolitical Studies*, 7(2), 198-220. DOI:
10.1285/i20356609v7i2p198

Caveng, R. (2012). La production des enquêtes quantitatives. *Revue
d'anthropologie des connaissances*, 6(1), 65-88.
https://doi.org/10.3917/rac.015.00104.

Chiapello, E., & Walter, C. (2016). The three ages of financial
quantification: a conventionalist approach to the financiers'
metrology. *Historical
Social Research/Historische Sozialforschung*, 155-177.

Desrosières, A. (1998). *The politics of large numbers: a history of
statistical reasonning, Cambridge*. Harvard University Press.

Desrosières, A. (2014). *Prouver et gouverner: une analyse politique des
statistiques publiques*. La découverte.

Desrosières, A., & Thévenot, L. (2002). *Les catégories
socioprofessionnelles*. La Découverte.
https://doi.org/10.3917/dec.desro.2002.01

Diaz-Bone, R., & Didier, E. (2016). The Sociology of Quantification –
Perspectives on an Emerging Field in the Social Sciences. *Historical
Social Research*, 41, 726. https://doi.org/10.12759/HSR.41.2016.2.7-26

Didier, E. (2011). « Compstat » in Paris : A device for prompting
police
initiatives and accountability. *Champ Pénal/Penal Field*, Vol. VIII.
https://doi.org/10.4000/champpenal.9028

Didier, E. (2016). Alain Desrosières and the Parisian Flock. Social Studies
of Quantification in France since the 1970s. *Historical Social Research /
Historische Sozialforschung*, 41(2 (156)), 27‑47.

Didier, E. (2018). Globalization of Quantitative Policing: Between
Management and Statactivism (SSRN Scholarly Paper 3245737). *Social Science
Research Network*. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-060116-053308

Didier, E. (2020). *America by the numbers: Quantification, democracy, and
the birth of national statistics*. The MIT Press.

Didier, E. (2021). *Quantitative marbling*. Martin-Luther-Universität
Halle-Wittenberg.

Ebeling, M. F. E. (2016). *Healthcare and Big Data: Digital Specters and
Phantom Objects*. Palgrave Macmillan US.

Edwards, P. (2010). *A vast machine: Computer models, Climate data, and the
politics of global warming*. The MIT Press.

Edwards, P. N., Mayernik, M. S., Batcheller, A. L., Bowker, G. C., &
Borgman, C. L. (2011). Science friction: Data, metadata, and
collaboration. *Social
Studies of Science*, 41(5), 667-690.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0306312711413314

Espeland, W. (1993). Power, policy and paperwork : The bureaucratic
representation of interests. *Qualitative Sociology*, 16(3), 297‑317.
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00990103

Espeland, W., & Stevens, M. 1998, Commensuration as social process. *Annual
Review of Sociology*, 24(1), 313-343.

Hacking, I. (1990). *The taming of chance*. Cambridge University Press.

Hopwood, A., Miller, P. (1994). *Accounting as social and institutional
practice*. Cambridge University Press.

Kurunmäki, L., Mennicken, A., & Miller, P. (2016). Quantifying,
economising, and marketising: democratising the social sphere?. *Sociologie
du travail*, 58(4), 390-402.

Leonelli, S., & Tempini, N. (Eds.). (2020). *Data journeys in the sciences*.
Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37177-7

Mennicken, A., & Espeland, W., (2019). What’s New with Numbers?
Sociological Approaches to the Study of Quantification. *Annual Review of
Sociology*, 45, 223-245.

Mennicken, A., Salais, R. (Ed) (2022). *The new politics of numbers.
Utopia, evidence and democracy*. Palgrave Macmillan.

Miller, P. (2001). Governing by Numbers: Why Calculative Practices
Matter. *Social
Research*, 68(2), 379‑396.

Nafus, D. (Éd.). (2016). *Quantified: Biosensing technologies in everyday
life*. The MIT Press.

Porter, T. (1995). *Trust in numbers. The pursuit of objectivity in science
and public life*. Princeton University Press.

Star, S. L., & Ruhleder, K. (1996). Steps Toward an Ecology of
Infrastructure: Design and Access for Large Information Spaces. *Information
Systems Research*, 7(1),111-134.

Supiot, A. (2015). *La gouvernance par les nombres*. Fayard.

Thévenot, L. (1983). L’économie du codage social. *Critiques de
l’économie
politique*, 23(24), 188-222.

Timmermans, S., & Epstein, S. (2010). A world of standards but not a
standard world: Toward a sociology of standards and standardization. *Annual
review of Sociology*, 36(1), 69-89.


--
Quentin Dufour
Chercheur CNRS
Directeur adjoint de l'ISNS - PariSanté Campus
quentindufour92@gmail.com
https://cv.archives-ouvertes.fr/quentin-dufour
+33 6 68 30 10 59

Centre Norbert Elias (UMR CNRS 8562)
Aix-Marseille Université
2 rue de la Charité, 13002 Marseille

[demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/pdf which had a name of Stat&Soc - CfC - Micropolitics of measurement.pdf]
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