International Activity Theory Semminar in Brazil

From: Ricardo Japiassu (rjapias@uol.com.br)
Date: Mon Jul 29 2002 - 18:18:45 PDT


From today to next wednesday, at mornings,
it is been held, here, in Faculty of Education of USP (São Paulo-Brazil),
a semminar conducted by Mario Gold (University of Buenos Ayres) on Activity Theory.
(He was invited by Mathematics Department of Faculty of Education)

This morning he told about the congress at Amsterdan
and explain us that the the sociocultural research association and ISCRAT will become a same organization.
And that the next meeting will be held in Sevilla, Spain, 2005.

He also exposed his particular understanding of Vygotsky's ideas "map" in US.
In his oppinion, West Coast (California, New Mexico and Arizona) have enphasized the
sociocultural contextualization of LV's theory and its pedagogical implications
and East Coast (Chicago, Washington and N York) have been engaged on
discussing and studying its semiotic dimension.

He told about the importance of the works of Brunner, Cole and Wertsch on
presenting Vygotsky's thought to americans (from north, central and south)
and yet the work of Jaan Valsiner, particularlly in Brazil.

In his oppinion AT and HCT are not different paradigms at all. To him, AT is the development of
some LV's main thesis.

He pointed four generations or periods of development of AT:

First - Vygotsky's solitary work
Second - Vygotsky, Luria and Leontiev work as a "troika"
Third - The works of Galperin, Boyovich, Elkonin, Zaporozets, Levina (and Zeigarnik - german woman researcher)
Fourth - Cole, Engestron, Davidov, Zinchenko and others.

People could ask questions and express their oppinion on the issue.
Professor Mario presented two books of him and some papers collected during ISCRAT.

I think he could had presented us the books of Leontiev, availabe in spanish, he reffered to...
The books of Leontiev are rare here.

Ricardo Ottoni Vaz Japiassu
Professor da Universidade do Estado da Bahia-Uneb X
http://www.ricardojapiassu.pro.br



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