[Xmca-l] Re: Article for Discussion

[David Kellogg]

Sometimes I do find myself frustrated by interdisciplinary efforts to bring
one academic enterprise into conversation with another, because I find that
disciplinary terms that I know and love have lost the meanings which made
them ginger and garlic to me.

One example: "context". The word "context" is used fifteen times, usually
as "social context" or "cultural context" or "context of activity". The
word "text" is used only once, as part of the compound word "textbook", and
the word "context" is nowhere to be found in the context.

As a linguist, I find it very hard to imagine a context without a text. Is
"context" here just a metaphor for setting, or are we literally supposed to
think of "activity" as a kind of text? Does "context" mean the material
setting, or does it mean the only those elements of the material setting
which have been selected for semiotic coding, as it does for linguists?

David Kellogg
Macquarie University




On Sun, Mar 20, 2016 at 12:28 PM, Cliff O'Donnell <cliffo@hawaii.edu> wrote:

> Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Alfredo. Roland and I thought that
> although CC and CHAT have many common interests, most folks in each
> appeared to be unaware of the other (judging by the infrequency of common
> citations). As described in our article, we and several of our colleagues
> have been influenced by CHAT and have used CHAT concepts in our research
> and intervention programs. As for influence in the opposite direction,
> perhaps the KEEP project, Seymour Sarason's work, and some of Maynard's
> work with Greenfield. Also Kurt Lewin is a source common to both CC and
> CHAT. I too would be interested to hear of additional influence in the
> opposite direction.
>
> You are correct that Delta Theory builds on psychosocial systems with
> Vygotsky as an important source. Delta Theory boldly attempts to be a
> universal theory of how change occurs using Delta as the symbol for change.
>
> I'm pleased that you found the discussion of cognitive science,
> psycho-neurology, and a potential center of commonality in psychology of
> interest! That is the goal of the article, i.e., to show how the
> commonality of CC and CHAT have the potential to form that commonality with
> developmental, educational, cognitive, and neuro-psychology. Hopefully this
> discussion format will facilitate interest in the process.
>
> Cliff
>
> On Mar 19, 2016, at 6:17 AM, Alfredo Jornet Gil wrote:
>
> Thanks Cliff and Mike for sharing this interesting article. I was not
>> familiar to cultural community psychology and this and the other papers in
>> the symposium do a great job introducing and concisely describing the
>> field, and how it evolved from community to cultural community psychology.
>>
>> As I was reading, I wondered how much the influence of CHAT literature
>> had influenced the development of community psychology itself from the
>> start. As I progressed in my reading, I then found clear references to
>> these influences, which even meant the delay of the publishing of Roland's
>> work, I assume, due to the important input that Vygotsky's publications
>> meant for the project. But then I wondered on what had been other sources.
>> What were other foundational influences to the field? I'd be interested to
>> know about them in part because, while the paper discusses many examples in
>> which CHAT gives input to CC, I would like to know more about the
>> (possible) inputs in the other direction.
>>
>> Also, I found interesting the mention of a new center of commonality in
>> psychology in general. I was glad to see, however brief, mentions to
>> research in cognitive science and psycho-neurology. In your paper, Delta
>> theory is mentioned as a move forward towards integration. In the case of
>> CHAT, this was pursued by means of developing a scientific discipline based
>> on dialectical materialism and the sociogenetic method. Delta theory (I
>> just had a very brief first contact) seems to build upon the notion of
>> psychosocial systems. This sounds very much in line with Vygotsky, who
>> surely is a central source. Again, here I would love to hear what other
>> insights/sources are involved that may provide new insights to those more
>> familiar to CHAT but not so much with CC and Delta theory.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Alfredo
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu>
>> on behalf of mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu>
>> Sent: 18 March 2016 02:39
>> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
>> Subject: [Xmca-l]  Article for Discussion
>>
>> Dear XCMA-er-o-philes-
>>
>>
>>
>> We thought it appropriate to put up for discussion the paper by Roland
>> Tharp and Cliff  O'Donnell from the most recent issue of MCA. Roland
>> wanted
>> to stimulate discussion among what he and Cliff saw as people with a
>> strong
>> family resemblance. He passed away before this part of the discussion
>> could
>> take place.
>>
>>
>>
>> Roland and Cliff argue for the mutual relevance of Cultural Community
>> Psychology and Vygotskian inspired research in the approach referred to
>> often in these pages as CHAT, not only because it is an acronym for
>> cultural-historical activity theory, but because we have a tradition of
>> chatting here about the ideas in papers that sample our different
>> interests.
>>
>>
>>
>> In this case, Cliff is intending to send this message and an invitation to
>> people from Community Psychology to join in. May it be celebratory of
>> Roland's long life seeking to promote growth enhancing communication.
>>
>>
>>
>> get your copy at
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hmca20/current
>>
>>
>>
>> Enjoy, and of course, send along to others you think might be interested.
>> Its legal, free, above board, and, hopefully, interesting!
>>
>>
>>
>> mike
>>
>> --
>>
>> It is the dilemma of psychology to deal as a natural science with an
>> object
>> that creates history. Ernst Boesch
>>
>
> Clifford R. O'Donnell, Ph.D.
> Professor Emeritus
> Past-President, Society for Community Research and Action (APA Division 27)
>
> University of Hawai‘i
> Department of Psychology
> 2530 Dole Street
> Honolulu, HI 96822
>
>
>