But at least I'm myself interested in knowing about Vygotsky, and
maybe others on this list as well?
(hvirtane who-is-at cc.jyu.fi)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 16:38:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: Pete <pfarr who-is-at uclink4.berkeley.edu>
Reply-To: marxism2 who-is-at jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU
To: marxism2 who-is-at jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU
Subject: Lev Vygotsky in Soviet history
Does anyone know how I can get accurate historical info about Lev Vygotsky
and how his work in psychology fit within the broader picture of soviet
history and politics? His work in founding the socio-historical school of
psychology dates roughly from 1924 to 1934 (when he died of TB).
I'm especially interested in knowing what he was up to, or thought he was
up to , when he directed some research expeditions to study the thinking of
peasants in Uzbekhistan...he sent his protege/collaborator Alexander Luria
to lead these expeditions, and Luria was excited to learn that the peasants
didn't understand syllogisms and that their thinking was different from
that of modern citizens. This work was done around 1929-30, thus during
the collectivizations, and I understand that it was squelched by Moscow as
being chauvinist, and that someone in Vygotsky's collective was even shot
over the matter. But I've found almost nothing about Vygotsky written by
any socialist/communist writers, or at least nothing that frames his life
and work politically.
I think Vygotsky was interested in seeing if and how modernization (like
the bolsheviks' work in the East) changes the consciousness of uneducated
people, and I think this question has important implications to those who
want to politically organize workers and peasants in underdeveloped areas
and uneducated workers in industrialized countries.
I just heard from a friend that she read an account of how Luria and other
young psychologists were doing human subjects research (skin tests, free
association questions, etc) in 1924 on accused criminals, university
applicants, and other people in stressful situations...research which
resulted in the lie detector. Does anyone know the political context of
this work?...were these just apolitical scientists taking advantage of a
situation or did they ally with any particular faction in the Kremlin?
I'll appreciate any leads
Pete Farruggio
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