Social Studies of Finance

Social Studies of Finance is economic research oriented toward the sociology of science. Theoretical and methodological insights gained from the investigation of epistemic processes in the natural sciences are transferred to the financial sector, which is viewed as a 'laboratory' of modern societies. Research is centered on the knowledge practices actors realize in financial markets and financial institutions as well as on the technical and object framing of economic action. Theoretical reference points for Social Studies of Finance are theories of practice, a sociology of objects, and a cultural sociology of representation. The article discusses this heterogeneous theoretical orientation and reviews empirical findings as well as the commonalities and differences vis-l-vis "new economic sociology".