Sociomateriality — taking the wrong turning? A response to Mutch

• Invited response to a paper in this journal by Alistair Mutch
• Clarifies the distinctiveness of a sociomaterial approach
• Questions the appropriateness of critique by proxy and exclusion
• Advocates theoretical plurality in studying information systems

In responding to Mutch's (2013) commentary on sociomateriality, our aim is to reassert a well-established tradition of plurality in theoretical approaches in information systems and organization research. We challenge his critique by proxy and exclusionary discourse in favour of identifying commonalities and mutuality among theories that explore subtle realism. Further, we maintain that ruling out novel perspectives and stifling innovation is likely to undermine any field of study. If there is a measure of healthy scholarship then it is surely our capacity to sustain the conditions that foster openness and experimentation in the framing and doing of our research endeavors.