>What would re-centering mean on a mailinglist?=20
We would first de-center and this does not seem possible to do *through*=
multi-logue, that my first take is as a continuous re-centering. The=
September papers we are to discuss are, artifact of de-centering -- mine=
more than Eva's as Christoph Clases (Raeithels's student) seemed to be=
telling me -- Eva's paper draws more heavily on the content material of the=
list, and mine draws more heavily on several other frameworks for a=
de-centered analysis. Of course the link map offers de-centering, as does=
the self-regulation model.
"A second, de-centered mode of reflection is entered when the subject=
observes another subject's activity. Taken as the Generalized Other (G.H.=
Mead) this other subject shows the relation of activity and counterprocess,=
and thus the possibility of functional analysis opens up. In informatics,=
we have learnt some years ago to use the conceptual distinction of=
algorithms and data structures. In the light of our discussion this=
reflects the fundamental distinction of activity and counterprocess in a=
way that makes functional analysis and control easy.
The subject can even try to see herself from a distance (constructing the=
Generalized Me), and this shows that the full power of de-centered=
reflection may only be reached with highly developed symbolic means,=
because in the case of a really tough and urgent problem the flow of=
activity is so complex that it has to be re-presented in a model of the=
process. Such a model shows the relation between activity, counterprocess,=
and the feasible means in a way that frees the reflecting subject from time=
pressure, and allows full exploration of the space of possibilities. When=
models exist, it becomes possible to understand and productively employ the=
difference between real, i.e. sensual and effectual, object domains and=
their analogous symbolic domains." (Raeithel, 1992)
>>"It is important to note that the incompatibility of the views of actor an=
d
>observer is not overcome for good by recentring. This is no Hegelian
>synthesis from which another step of development to ever higher planes of
>the Spirit could start. On the contrary, the complementarity of centred and
>decentred stances means that the gulf between them cannot ever be bridged
>except for moments or phases. The discontinuous happening of new and
>non-anticipated events is the rule, and not the exception (see Wehner
>1992). Therefore, the third possible stance with regard to a socially
>distributed action pattern emerges in opposition to both the centred and
>the decentred one, and only for the phases and moments of true dialogue and
>cooperation" (Raeithel, 1996)
>
>Ref: Raeithel, Arne. 1996. On the ethnography of cooperative work. In: Y.
>Engestr=F6m and D. Middleton (Eds.) Communication and Cognition at Work. Ne=
w
>York: Cambridge University Press
>
>Am I too optimistic?
>
>Eva
>
>
>**********************************************************************
>>Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 20:54:59 -0700 (PDT)
>>From: genevieve patthey-chavez <ggpcinla who-is-at yahoo.com>
>>Subject: Hello Eva, some questions
>>To: eva.ekeblad who-is-at ped.gu.se
>>
>>Second, in classic Genevieve fashion, I managed to read the wrong paper
>>first! I read "The emergence and decay..." and was getting ready to ask
>>you some clarification questions, then talked to Paul and it became
>>clear that we were not discussing the same object! So, perhaps you'll
>>still indulge my questions about the wrong paper.
>>
>>You write: "The link maps ...[allow] exploration of the possible
>>relations between object-oriented activity and its counterprocess."
>>(p. 8/31, right above Three outstanding multilogues). What is "its
>>counterprocess"?
>>
>>What is abductive multilogue?
>>
>>What is a self-organizing criticality?
>>
>>What is mailing list re-centering? Could you give me an example?
>>
>>I enjoyed reading the (wrong) paper. It brings into focus my deep
>>ambivalence about a) my participation on xmca; b) my own applied work.
>>I won't go into the first. The utopian sentiment always lurking behind
>>the latter is becoming less and less compartmentalizable. Most of the
>>time I just push it in some little corner of my conscience and decide
>>I'm too busy to consider how much my own work plays right into the
>>"more,better,faster" theme grinding education into the dust. But it's
>>climbing right over the psychological barricades. More writing, better
>>writing, faster writing for all my students, yes! More teaching,
>>better teaching, faster teaching! More discussion, better discussion,
>>faster discussion! What am I saying??? It's comforting to read "a
>>self-organizing system is not really amenable to control or planned
>>change -- but it is, nevertheless, possible ... to learn to recognize the
>>moments when small interventions have a fair chance of triggering
>>noticeable effects." Ahhh, someone else is walking in my shoes ...
>**************************************************************************
Bill Barowy, Associate Professor
Lesley College, 31 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-2790=20
Phone: 617-349-8168 / Fax: 617-349-8169
http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/wbarowy/Barowy.html
_______________________
"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself
and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful."
[Norman Maclean in "A river runs through it."]