Michel Callon
French sociologist and philosopher of science (1945–2025)
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Michel Callon (1945 – 28 July 2025) was a French sociologist who was a professor of sociology at the École des mines de Paris and member of the Centre de sociologie de l'innovation. He was an author in the field of Science and Technology Studies and one of the leading proponents of actor–network theory (ANT) with Madeleine Akrich, John Law and Bruno Latour. Callon died on 28 July 2025.[1]
Michel Callon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945 |
| Died | 28 July 2025 (aged 79–80) |
| Awards | CNRS Silver Medal, John Desmond Bernal Prize |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | École des Mines |
| Academic work | |
Main interests | Sociology, Science and Technology Studies |
Notable ideas | Actor–network theory |
Works
Callon’s earlier works on sociology of science and on translation contributed to the study of how scientists act to problematize an issue, interest other actors and recruit them as to mobilize a constituency around an issue. His article Some elements of a sociology of translation: domestication of the scallops and the fishermen of St Brieuc Bay[2] is one of the most cited in the literature of Science and Technology Studies.
From the late 1990s, Callon led efforts to apply ANT approaches to study economic life, notably economic markets. This body of work interrogates the interrelation between the economy and economics, highlighting the ways in which economics and economics-inspired disciplines such as marketing shape the economy.[3][4]
