I think what you respond to as an individualistic bias is only that
the sopcial/individfual tension is one we are constantly involved in
constructing and rresponding to, particularly as it is conceptualized
by many critics of sociocultural theory. I think Jim Wertsch and B.
Penuel have written most clearly on this subject.
Vera
On Fri, 26 Apr 1996, Robin
Harwood wrote:
> Jao writes:
> > I understand the Vygotsky position diferently. There is the
> >parameters and it constrained the children, but the exercice of
> >significances what mediate the relations take possible the children change
> >theirs positions in these relations. In this exercice the children can give
> >new meaning and same to change the rules, norms, social values, etc...
> >(example exercice is the play).
>
> This is also the way I understand Vygotsky: children transform what
> they appropriate, even while what they appropriate is initially
> framed for them by the adults they are interacting with. I think
> BOTH are true, and I've seen a great deal of emphasis on this list
> on the first part of this (that is, the individual agency of
> children), but very little emphasis on the second part (the
> constraints of culture). Personally, I find that what's unique
> about Vygotsky (from the perspective of the field of developmental
> psychology, which has always tended to use the individual as the
> unit of analysis) is the way in which the individual's constructions
> are viewed as embedded in the constructions of the larger society;
> not that this translates into cookie-cutter duplication, but simply
> that the constraints of culture are present in the analysis.
> I've been surprised that the focus of this list (and I don't know
> what discussions I've missed in the past) has been on celebrating
> the uniqueness of the individual and speaking of culture primarily
> as a negative, coercing influence. Again, I don't share the
> history of discussion, I can only speak from my own disciplinary
> history, but I am surprised at the individualistic, almost anti-social-
> order tone of the discussion. Isn't there a way to validate
> both the transforming power of the individual AND his or her given
> sociocultural constraints? I'm rambling now, I'm sure...
> Robin
>
>
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Vera P. John-Steiner
Department of Linguistics
Humanities Bldg. 526
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
(505) 277-6353 or 277-4324
Internet: vygotsky who-is-at triton.unm.edu
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