RE: synomorphs

From: Eugene Matusov (ematusov@udel.edu)
Date: Sat Aug 02 2003 - 16:25:14 PDT


Dear Vera and everybody-

I think Vera meant to sent her message not only to me but to the whole xmca
community that is why I replying to Vera and xmca.

Thanks a lot, Vera, for your historical note. I agree that the historical
context is important for a conceptual judgment. I know very little about
Baker and based my (preliminary) judgment only on fragments posted by Mike.
Even from these notes, it became clear for me that Baker worked on somewhat
ecological approach. I think an ecological approach is a huge step forward
from decontextualized lab-based approaches and indeed required courage (it
requires courage even now sometimes!).

However, not considering mediation SEEMS to me to push him to functional
determinism. This is my FIRST impression. I'd be happy if you or somebody
can provide non-deterministic aspects of Baker's approach.

What do you think?

Eugene

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vera John-Steiner [mailto:vygotsky@unm.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2003 3:23 PM
> To: ematusov@UDel.Edu
> Subject: Re: synomorphs
>
> Hi Eugene et al,
>
> I think characterizing Barker as deterministic is underestimating his
> courage in going out of the laboratory. He did not know what he will find
in
> looking at naturally occuring behavior, but he believed it was crucial to
> pursue it as a psychologist. his commitment to such a methodology is
> particularly important as psychologists, at that time, never even heard
the
> word "ethnography" nor did they have any tools, such as videotapes,
>
> Vera
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Eugene Matusov <ematusov@udel.edu>
> To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2003 7:37 PM
> Subject: RE: synomorphs
>
>
> > Dear Mike and everybody-
> >
> > Thanks a lot for the very useful scanned pages!
> >
> > After reading Baker's pages, I becoming leaning toward Jean Lave's
> > characterization of Baker's approach as deterministic. I think he was
> > functional/organic determinist. I think Jim Wertsch is right insisting
on
> > mediation nature of human activity (not behavior!).
> >
> > What do you think?
> >
> > Eugene
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Mike Cole [mailto:mcole@weber.ucsd.edu]
> > > Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 1:46 PM
> > > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > > Subject: Unidentified subject!
> > >
> > >
> > > Dear Synomorpho Chronotopes,
> > >
> > > Here are a few pages scanned from Barker, 1968, Ch3 on behvior
> > > settings. If anyone has the latter materials and can send
> > > relevant passages, it would help a lot. I am second in line for the
> > > newest stuff at our library and it will be weeks before I can get my
> > > hands on it.
> > > mike
> >
> >
> >



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