TURN, TURN, AND TURN AGAIN - THE WOOLGAR FORMULA

This response to a recent article in ST&HV by Woolgar (''The Turn to T echnology in Social Studies of Science'') investigates Woolgar's conce pt of analytic ambivalence. The response points out how this notion or iginates in a formula applied to social problems research and how this formula is used as the basis for Woolgar's critique of work in the so cial studies of technology. The response then goes on to show that Woo lgar's own application of the formula of analytic ambivalence is formu laic and glosses over many of the interesting features of the social s tudies of technology. Woolgar's article seems set to become another ex emplification of the reflexivist formula rather than an occasion for q uestioning the idea of applying formulas altogether