For Latour, nonhuman agency is about recognizing the active role that objects, technologies, and natural forces play in shaping human experience and the world. This does not mean nonhumans have intentions like humans, but rather that they have effects and participate in networks of action. By including nonhumans as agents, Latour’s theory offers a richer understanding of how the social and material world are co-constructed.
Latour provocatively claims the nonhumans have agency. Latour proposes that agency is not exclusive to humans. Instead, nonhumans—objects, technologies, and even natural phenomena—can exert influence and shape outcomes in the world. Agency for Latour is not an intrinsic property of an object or being. Instead, agency arises within networks of relationships where humans and nonhumans work together to produce effects.Nonhumans do not just passively exist in the world—they mediate human actions and transform interactions. This is what gives them agency. Humans often delegate responsibilities to nonhumans, embedding their intentions into objects.
Latour’s framework also shifts discussions of responsibility and causation. If agency is distributed among humans and nonhumans, then accountability must consider the entire network, rather than isolating human actors. For Latour, nonhuman agency is about recognizing the active role that objects, technologies, and natural forces play in shaping human experience and the world. This does not mean nonhumans have intentions like humans, but rather that they have effects and participate in networks of action. By including nonhumans as agents, Latour’s theory offers a richer understanding of how the social and material world are co-constructed.
Thus objects are not neutral tools—they actively shape human actions, behaviors, and meanings. Far from simply executing human intentions, objects mediate and transform them. A GPS device, for instance, doesn't just guide us; it influences how we experience space and make decisions. Similarly, a locked door enforces exclusion, embedding values like privacy into its design. Through their materiality and design, objects exert influence within networks, enabling, constraining, or even resisting human actions. Their agency comes not from independent intent but from their role in shaping the relationships and outcomes within the systems they inhabit. In this sense, objects are co-creators of human experience, not passive instruments.