[Xmca-l] Re: The Passing of Peeter Tulviste

[Peter Smagorinsky]

I met Peeter at the 1994 Vygotsky conference outside Moscow, and found him to be a gracious man as well as the author of a book I've referenced many times, Tulviste, P. (1991). The cultural-historical development of verbal thinking (M. J. Hall, Trans.). Commack, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

At the time he was president of the University of Estonia, I believe, the oldest university in Europe and possibly the world. He had a remarkable career, and I'm sad to hear of his passing.

-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of mike cole
Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2017 12:57 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
Subject: [Xmca-l] The Passing of Peeter Tulviste

Dear Colleagues -

News has arrived of the death of Peeter Tulviste. After a career in psychology, Peeter became an active member of the Estonian Parliament and continued to be an active political participant to the end of his life.

Here is the note I wrote in response to news of his death to those who had forwarded the information.

Darn. :-(
mike
----------------
I am deeply saddened by your news, Jim. Peeter was an important person in my life even though we have had little contact in recent years. As a graduate student he was a "go between" in my dialogue with Alexander Romanovich about interpreting cross cultural research. ARL and I tried to make it possible for Peeter to come to Liberia to do research, but it was not possible, even with ARL's political clout at the time. So Peeter did his dissertation in the far East.

I believe his formulation of a cultural-historical approach that simultaneously incorporates the concept of activity (a necessity politically because Leontiev's approach was dominant, but also very
productive) provides a powerful way to think about education in socio-historical circumstances.

Peeter lives on in my thoughts whenever they turn to wondering about the process of human development. That he lived his principles as a public figure as well as a social scientist is particularly admirable in the dark times through which Estonia passed.

mike