From this year's AERA mini course listserve:
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [MC-CHAT-2005] The Object in Activity Theory
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 19:30:34 -0700
From: Steve Gabosch <sgabosch@comcast.net>
Reply-To: MC-CHAT-2005@yahoogroups.com
To: MC-CHAT-2005@yahoogroups.com
References:
<9D25EC9CEF02EE449A4D64BFFA413AC80285B2C6@iu-mssg-mbx05.exchange.iu.edu>
<30364f9905042516157b230351@mail.gmail.com>
Following up a little on Mike's suggestion about xmca archives, a paper
in the MCA journal we were discussing in June 2003 on xmca ("Pursuing an
Evolving Object: A Case Study in Object Formation and Identification" by
Kristen Foot) generated several threads that discussed the meaning of
"object" in activity theory.
Here are the beginnings of two threads in June 2003:
A post from Mike that began one of the threads, "Chasing the Object"
http://lchc.ucsd.edu/MCA/Mail/xmcamail.2003_06.dir/0039.html
Another post by Ricardo Japiaso that began another, "Gegenstand X objekt"
http://lchc.ucsd.edu/MCA/Mail/xmcamail.2003_06.dir/0051.html
Here is the June 2003 archive, which makes it easier to follow these
threads:
http://lchc.ucsd.edu/MCA/Mail/xmcamail.2003_06.dir/
Some of this discussion spilled into July. I find it easiest to go to
the main xmca archive index, go to a specific month like June 2003 (via
"previous years") and browse from there in case I want to move from
month to month.
http://communication.ucsd.edu/MCA/Mail/index.html
Also, for hunting around these archives, I open a second browser window
and use Google, and go back and forth between the archive monthly
listings and the Google entries. At the bottom of the lchc home page
which Mike provided the url for, there is a Google search box, click on
search lchc, type in something like <object> and lots of stuff comes up,
including threads in other years and numerous papers.
http://lchc.ucsd.edu/
As these xmca archives show, the concept "object" has long been an
object unto itself in CHAT theorizing. Just as it has been in
philosophy in general. Even the philosophical etymology of the word is
interesting and full of puzzles - the development of the term "object"
as I recall comes from the late European middle ages, when early
scientific, empiricist and materialist notions were just beginning to
emerge in late feudalism and early capitalism, necessitating the need
for a word for the concept of "object," a category of things apart from
mind and God, a new idea at the time. I tend to observe that people
line up according to their core philosophical convictions over the
various controversies pesky concepts such as "object" and "objectivity"
seem to incur. Lots to work with. Enjoy!
- Steve
On 4/25/2005 Mike Cole wrote:
> There are extensive discussions of this elusive topic on xmca which
> can be reached via
> lchc.ucsd.edu <http://lchc.ucsd.edu> and then google lchc for oject or
> object of activity.
> mike cole
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