Re: [xmca] Fwd: social spaces

From: Mike Cole (lchcmike@gmail.com)
Date: Mon Feb 19 2007 - 08:08:30 PST


Thanks for the explication of osoznanie, Anna. I think it will help my
understanding of the distinctions.
mike

On 2/16/07, Stetsenko, Anna <AStetsenko@gc.cuny.edu> wrote:
>
> Mike, since no one has answered your question about the tricky 'o' in
> 'o-soznanie' , here is a brief comment.
> The prefix 'O' has many meanings, just like many other prefixes do,
> dependning on their use (the meaning being not fixed indeed). In the case of
> 'o-soznanie' the 'o' is not related to the meaning as in 'about' or
> 'concerning' something which was your hypothesis -- though this is correct
> in many other cases. Rather, here it is connected to the meaning of 'into'
> or of 'bringing something about; bringing smth into being' -- somewhat
> similar to the English 'en' -- as in 'enactment', 'encroachment' etc. So,
> 'o-soznanie' bears the meaning of 'soznanie coming into being', similar to
> French 'prise de conscience' perhaps. O-soznanie is often translated as
> 'awareness' into English, and as is often the case, the translation is not
> exact with many deep theoretical issues lingering behind the surface of
> merely translating words.
> Translation entails huge theoretical work of conceptualization; many
> pieces in Vygotsky are really translated in ways I cannot agree with, often
> with the meaning of the sentence being reversed into just its opposite --
> quite unfortunately actually. No one's fault in particular, just the
> testament to the power, richness, uniqueness, complexity and fluidity of
> each and every language.
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu on behalf of Mike Cole
> Sent: Thu 2/15/2007 3:45 PM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: Re: [xmca] Fwd: social spaces
>
>
>
> Yes, its a dilemma.... keep adding modifiers or keep it crisp and neat.
>
> I guess I am sensitive to uses of the term, social, because in so many
> discourses
> I participate in it is taken as the antonym of biological.
> mike
>
> On 2/14/07, Jennifer Vadeboncoeur <vadebonc@interchange.ubc.ca> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Hi Cathrene, thanks for your note. :)
> >
> > Mike's comment is a "wake up" call: what I assume and the way I use
> > language to make sense of things is not necessarily the same as what
> > others assume and the way they use language. I am reminded of
> > discussions by Wertsch regarding the way that Vygotsky's ideas
> > challenge our common terms for things, and the need to add qualifiers
> > to signify a new or different meaning; situated cognition,
> > distributed cognition, assisted performance, situated learning. I am
> > constantly reminding my students, reminding myself as I do, that
> > common terms like learning, development, cognition, emotion,
> > knowledge, identity, are grounded in theoretical perspectives. So we
> > end up saying, "This is what I mean by cognition, not that
> > definition, this one." They get overwhelmed sometimes with the
> > different ways of conceptualizing these terms, me too, but I love the
> > idea that this "word play" is an avenue for thinking things
> > differently. I hope this is "true."
> >
> > Best - jennifer
> >
> >
> >
> > >Hi Jennifer and colleagues,
> > >Thanks for your eloquent definition of the term "social". I, too,
> > >embrace the multidimensional concept as being constituent of social,
> > >cultural, historical, mediated, semiotic, and embodied texts and
> > >practices.
> > >Cathrene
> > >
> > >M. Cathrene Connery, Ph.D.
> > >Assistant Professor of Bilingual & TESL Education
> > >Central Washington University
> > >
> > >>>> Jennifer Vadeboncoeur <vadebonc@interchange.ubc.ca> 2/13/2007 5:37
> > >PM >>>
> > >Mike!
> > >
> > >Yes, thanks for that query. In this piece we began with the physical
> > >and were writing/thinking through what other forms of "space" might
> > >look like. Space that is constituted by or produced in human
> > >activity, social practices, and discursive practices, for example,
> > >that would help us describe and explain our research.
> > >
> > >The concepts that are central to our work - social, cultural, and
> > >historical - are in my mind, though I have taken up and used "social
> > >practices" more than "cultural practices" or "historical practices,"
> > >perhaps out of force of habit. I see this tendency in Harvey,
> > >Lefebvre, and Soja's work - that is, to talk about the social moreso
> > >than the cultural, though in saying that, I pause, because Harvey, in
> > >particular, emphasizes the historical alongside the social production
> > >of space.
> > >
> > >So, when I read the term "social," as in "social construction of
> > >knowledge," I read it as a process that is at once social, cultural,
> > >and historical. I read it as mediated, semiotic, embodied. I
> > >appreciate your point; that others may not read it this way.
> > >
> > >Sociocultural, cultural historical, sociohistorical, cultural? How
> > >are other folks managing this?
> > >
> > >Best - jennifer
> > >
> > >
> > >>Hi Jennifer--
> > >>
> > >>For those who have not gotten the article, you can start at the
> > >following
> > >>url, then go to the journal and down on the right
> > >>hand side you will see the last article in the series. That is the one
> > >on
> > >>spaces that Jennifer is referring to.
> > >>http://lchc.ucsd.edu/MCA/index.html
> > > >
> > > >Good luck hunting and reading!!
> > > >
> > > >Jennifer-- How come the term, culture, does not figure in your brief
> > > >summary?
> > > >mike
> > > >
> > > >On 2/12/07, Jennifer Vadeboncoeur <vadebonc@interchange.ubc.ca>
> > >wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>>>Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 14:04:29 -0800
> > >>>>To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > >>>>From: Jennifer Vadeboncoeur <vadebonc@interchange.ubc.ca>
> > >>>>Subject: social spaces
> > >>>>Cc:
> > >>>>Bcc:
> > >>>>X-Attachments:
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>Dear XMCA Folks,
> > >>>>
> > >>>>Hope this note finds you well!
> > >>>>
> > >>>>On Monday, Mike attached the piece entitled, Hirst, E. &
> > >>>>Vadeboncoeur, J. A. (2006). Patrolling the borders of Otherness:
> > >>>>Dis/placed identity positions for teachers and students in schooled
> > >>>>spaces. Mind, Culture, and Activity: An International Journal,
> > >>>>13(3), 203-225.
> > >>>>
> > >>>>I am mindful of busy schedules and not sure who may have gotten the
> > >>>>chance to read it yet, but I thought I would throw out a a bit of a
> > >>>>beginning piece and see if I can generate some discussion.
> > >Elizabeth
> > >>>>Hirst, at Griffith University in Brisbane, will contribute as she
> > > >>>can around her traveling schedule.
> > >>>>
> > >>>>As I think about this piece, two interests of ours were: an
> > >interest
> > >>>>in understanding social space, as distinct from material or
> > >physical
> > >>>>space; and an interest in exploring the intersection between
> > >>>>government - federal and state - policy and the lives of teachers
> > >>>>and students. For example, if we attempt to work beyond the "space
> > >>>>as container" metaphor, how do we describe, define, exemplify
> > >social
> > >>>>space? What constructs social space? How is it constituted? And
> > >from
> > >>>>a research perspective, what sorts of data would need to be
> > >gathered
> > >>>>to provide evidence of social space? Both theoretical and
> > >>> >methodological issues surface here and for the second area of
> > >>> >interest. In terms of links between policy and practice, how do
> > >we
> > >>> >map across policy initiatives and what occurs at the level of the
> > >>>>school and/or the classroom? How do we link policy with the lives
> > >of
> > >>>>young people outside of schools?
> > >>>>
> > >>>>Just some thoughts here. As you think about this piece, what stands
> > >>>>out for you?
> > >>>>
> > >>>>Best - jennifer
> > >>>>
> > >>>>[Eliz, please jump in when you can, and add to the above, vibes for
> > >>> >safe travels!]
> > >
> > >--
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> >
> >
> > --
> >
> >
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