The paper aims to provide a theoretical reassessment of the concept of sociomateriality, which has served as a key reference theory for valuation studies. It identifies the methodological issues shared across debate developed in relation to various metatheories. The paper also demonstrates the relevance of sociomateriality to valuation studies by reconsidering it through the lens of affordance, which has recently attracted renewed scholarly attention.

This study revisits the concept of apparatus, which is central to valuation studies, by examining its metatheoretical foundations and clarifying its implications. In doing so, it elucidates how scientific and technological innovation is enacted through various apparatuses. The study further explores the practices of scientific and technological innovation that are materialized and generated through experimental apparatuses in physics, including synchrotron radiation facilities.

This article reconstructs the development process of “X Marketplace” (pseudonym), a C2C NFT marketplace, from the perspective of exploratory assetization. Based on interviews with the project team, it presents a stage-by-stage analysis of sociotechnical collectives composed of institutional, social, and material actors, tracing how assetization unfolds within these collectives. The analysis highlights the dynamism through which modes of value creation are reconfigured throughout the development process.

This study examines a case of certification fraud in the automotive industry that emerged in 2024 from the perspective of valuation studies. The findings indicate that although safety standards in Japan were formally aligned with international standards, substantial deficiencies existed in their practical implementation. These operational challenges contributed to the occurrence of certification fraud. This study focuses on the ironic aspects of certification systems and characterizes fraud in the automotive industry as a mechanism of devaluation.

This study analyzes how field-level logics shape organizational and individual responses within Health and Productivity Management (HPM) by applying a framework of heterogeneity in institutional logic multiplicity. In managing conflicting values imposed by diverse stakeholders, organizations inevitably encounter internal tensions. As conformity with dominant institutional rationalities becomes essential for securing social legitimacy, the study reveals how organizations and individuals navigate the coexistence of multiple evaluative criteria and develop strategic, multilevel valuation practices in response.

During the “Lost Three Decades” following the collapse of the bubble economy, the Japanese employment system—traditionally premised on the expectation of lifetime commitment—underwent significant transformations, led by Nikkeiren (Japan Federation of Employers’ Associations) and Keidanren (Japan Business Federation). How, then, was this new employment system justified as it fundamentally reshaped such conventional practices? This paper analyzes the justifications for the new employment system presented in the Reports of the Committee on Management and Labor Policy (1991-2020) published by Nikkeiren and Keidanren, drawing on the “orders of worth” (cités) framework from French pragmatic sociology.

This study reexamines calculability, long taken for granted in modern society, as both a foundation of capitalist modes of domination and a condition that enables social critique from within capitalism itself. Grounded in the pragmatic sociology of critique, the study draws on Derrida’s theory of justice and Bataille’s discussions of sovereignty to clarify how issues surrounding calculability intersect with the critical perspective with radical structuralism. In doing so, it explores the theoretical possibilities for radical critique in contemporary society.

This paper introduces the concept of design newness, which has been emphasized in product design research. It examines design newness alongside functionality, reliability and personalization, all of which have been identified as important factors in web services and mobile apps. The paper then analyzes the impact of these elements on service usage behavior. The results reveal that design newness negatively affects usage behavior at the initial stage, while exerting a positive effect during the continued usage stage.