From Theory–Technology Dialectic to Theoretical Assemblage: A Case Study of Blockchain Studies

Kakavandi, Yousef; Sharifzadeh, Rahman; Mohammadi, Mehdi; Abooyee Ardakan, Mohammad; Heidary Dahooie, Jalil

doi:10.30465/ps.2026.54604.1833

From Theory–Technology Dialectic to Theoretical Assemblage: A Case Study of Blockchain Studies

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

yousef Kakavandi ¹

Rahman Sharifzadeh ²

Mehdi Mohammadi ³

Mohammad Abooyee Ardakan ⁴

Jalil Heidary Dahooie ³

¹ PhD Candidate, Department of Technology Management, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Associate Prof., Institute of Society and Information, Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc), Tehran, Iran

³ Associate Prof., Industrial Management, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Associate Prof., Department of Leadership and Human Capital, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.30465/ps.2026.54604.1833

Abstract

In science and technology studies, the agency of technology has largely been confined to its role in rearranging social relations and human–nonhuman networks, while its influence on the selection and transformation of theoretical frameworks has received far less attention. Through a case study of blockchain studies as an emerging technology, and by introducing the concept of the “theory–technology dialectic,” this paper demonstrates that technology can play a role in shaping, modifying, and displacing the theories researchers employ. The arguments of this paper show that no single theoretical framework is capable of explaining all dimensions of emerging technologies such as blockchain, and researchers are compelled to draw simultaneously on diverse theories. This situation reflects a kind of “theoretical flexibility” when confronting complex technologies. Ultimately, the paper proposes “theoretical assemblage” as a methodological strategy for studying emerging technologies and points to its Methodological implications for the field of technology studies.

Keywords

Blockchain

Science and Technology Studies

Technological agency

Theoretical flexibility

Theoretical assemblage

Subjects