The substantive character (and the "in some sense" pre-existence) would
seem to be a decisive advantage of mediational tools: if the mediator
wasn't in some sense THERE how could it function? (springboard of thought
and action -- not "thin air").
On the other hand: thinking of gestures-words-and-sentences, they are only
intermittently THERE, and verymuch only in "some sense" pre-existent. By
being recognizable as The Same. So to call all kinds of mediators
substantive, and pre-existant is perhaps stretching it?
Well, no. Let's keep the substantiality. It seem useful, even if it brings
the risk of misleading us away from thinking in relations. Which is
something that is very hard to consistently do, I agree. And, I suppose,
even harder to communicate. It is very easy to begin to think and read as
if Mediator was the bolt joining the me-thing with the what-I-do-thing.
(Bad metaphor, but: as if we were talking about meccano pieces to assemble
or put back in to the box). As if Textbook was always the same, and
Students Clara and Jack also always the same... and a word like.... well,
say 'cirrocumulus' -- also always the same... As if everything we deal with
were neutrally exchangeable pieces. This is certainly how we try NOT to
reason in this contextually aware community.
Hmm... does this sound as if I am arguing with you, Alfred? That was not at
all my intention. It was just that you point to a problem that is very
important to me, so I thought I would contribute to keeping it "afloat" in
the discussion: how can we describe relational phenomena without evoking
fixed-entities in the minds of our readers (including ourselves)?
It does not seem to be enough stressing the relational nature of mediation
(among other things) when "writing theory" -- although I would certainly be
interested to hear if you have further theoretical elaboration on the
theme, do you?
Eva
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Eva Ekeblad
Univ. of Gothenburg, Sweden Goteborgs Universitet
Dept. of Education & Educational Research Institutionen for Pedagogik
Box 1010
S-431 26 Molndal, SWEDEN
e-mail: eva.ekeblad who-is-at ped.gu.se
Tel: +46 31 773 2393 fax: Int +46 31 773 24 62
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