ABSTRACT
Drawing on Actor-Network Theory, this chapter introduces the notions of translation and performativity to provide a novel perspective on professional identity and social work. 2 The first part of the chapter presents observational data of an interactional event between a social worker and a client. The second part elucidates the techno-social heterogeneity of the event through an analysis based on the Actor-Network Theory of translation. The third part discusses the precarious and temporary natures of the techno-social hybrids in social work through the concept of performance. Finally, the chapter discusses how an actor-network-inspired analysis of socio-technical performance may contribute to discussions about professional identity in social work.
