“MALE” Drones in France: Intermediaries or Mediators?

Special Report: A New Look at Research
By Antoine Younsi
English

As the presence of aerial drones is growing in France, both in the military arsenal and in public debates, this article shows sociology’s aptitude for studying the dissemination of a technological war device. Unlike essentialist approaches to technology, which claim that it evolves autonomously, the proposed analysis considers both that innovation results from actors’ association and “framing” work, and, conversely, that the technical object has a mediating effect on its surroundings. By studying military thinking in the specialized press, the article shows that despite drone entrepreneurs’ “good reasons” for defining it as a neutral and controlled tool, it is more fruitful to analyse it through the lens of the “mediator” concept. From this perspective, the technical object is active and, in our case, reconfigures French military organization. It allows for new ways of thinking and waging war, and leads to a whole different way of relating to the enemy.

Go to the article on Cairn-int.info