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Sociocultural Studies of Mind

Sociocultural Studies of Mind

Sociocultural Studies of Mind

James V. Wertsch, Clark University, Massachusetts and Washington University, St Louis
Pablo del Rio, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
Amelia Alvarez
April 1995
Available
Paperback
9780521476430
$51.00
USD
Paperback
USD
Hardback

    Sociocultural Studies of Mind addresses the question of how mental functioning is related to the cultural, historical, and institutional settings in which it takes place. There are three unifying ideas that run through the volume: 1) one of the basic ways that sociocultural setting shapes mental functioning is through the cultural tools employed, 2) mediation provides a formulation of how this shaping occurs, and 3) in order to specify how cultural tools exist and have their effects, it is essential to focus on human action as a unit of analysis. This landmark volume defines a general approach to sociocultural psychology--one that the authors hope will be debated and redefined as the field moves forward. Sociocultural Studies of Mind will be crucial for researchers and graduate students in cognitive science, philosophy, and cultural anthropology.

    • Fresh look at Vygotsky by top names

    Reviews & endorsements

    "...highly recommendable as a target reference for discussion as well as an introductory textbook." Giyoo Hatano, Mind, Culture, and Activity

    "...provides a veritable reflection of diverse directions within different psychological traditions into which Vygotskian ideas are developing in different countries." Alex Kozulin, Contemporary Psychology

    "For those familiar with a sociocultural approach, this book furnishes several interesting discussions regarding unresolved issues in the area as well as some useful empirical illustrations. For those new to the approach, the book provides a broad collection of ideas that will serve as a useful introduction to a promising perspective for the discipline." Mary Gauvain, Applied Cognitive Psychology

    See more reviews

    Product details

    April 1995
    Paperback
    9780521476430
    268 pages
    227 × 152 × 18 mm
    0.356kg
    10 b/w illus. 1 table
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • Part I. Introduction James V. Wertsch, Pablo del Rio and Amelia Alvarez: Part II. Human Action: Historical and Theoretical Foundations:
    • 1. Cultural-historical psychology and the psychological theory of activity: retrospect and prospect Vladimir P. Zinchenko
    • 2. The need for action in sociocultural research James V. Wertsch
    • 3. Theories of action, speech, natural language, and discourse Jean-Paul Bronckart
    • Part III. Mediation in Action:
    • 4. Writing and the mind David R. Olson
    • 5. An approach to an integrated sensory-motor system in the human central brain and a subconscious computer Tadanobu Tsunoda
    • Part IV. Sociocultural Setting, Intersubjectivity, and the Formation of the Individual:
    • 6. Observing sociocultural activity on three planes: participatory appropriation, guided participation, apprenticeship Barbara Rogoff
    • 7. The constitution of the subject: a persistent question Ana Luiza B. Smolka, Maria Cecilia R. Dee Goes, Angel Pino
    • Part V. Sociocultural Settings: Design and Intervention:
    • 8. Socio-cultural-historical psychology: some general remarks and a proposal for a new kind of cultural-genetic methodology Michael Cole
    • 9. Tossing, praying, and thinking: the changing architectures of mind and agency Amelia Alvarez Rodriguez and Pablo del Río Pereda.
      Contributors
    • Vladimir P. Zinchenko, Jean-Paul Bronckart, David R. Olson, Tadanobu Tsunoda, Barbara Rogoff, Ana Luiza B. Smolka, Maria Cecilia R. Dee Goes, Angel Pino, Michael Cole

    • Editors
    • James V. Wertsch , Clark University, Massachusetts and Washington University, St Louis
    • Pablo del Rio , Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
    • Amelia Alvarez