I first encountered the idea of language as social institution in Durkheim, Larry. I found this piece by Chris Sinha who is always instructive to read. mike On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 11:02 PM, Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com> wrote: > The other thread on the meaning of words and word meaning is fascinating. > Trying to keep separate what Vygotsky said and meant from other's > perspectives on this topic seems to become intertwined Therefore I'm > starting a new thread. > > I was interested in Andy's comment that there may be alternative "readings" > of this topic which are using similar words but have different word > meanings. Then Tony wrote the comment, > > I am comfortable calling a language an institution, although that requires > using "institution" in a very broad sense. > For some purposes, it could be necessary to differentiate among social > institutions, legal institutions, cultural institutions, etc. But I am > completely comfortable recognizing all of these as institutions. > > Tony bringing in the term "institution" leaves me wondering if > "institutions" is being used to express similar a concept to Dewey's > "systems of meanings" or Gadamer's "frameworks" or"horizons of > understanding" or Merleau-Ponty's notion of "sedimentation" or > Wittgenstein's notion of "fly-bottles". [notice how these concepts are all > metaphors or images but that's another thread] These metaphors point to the > IMPLICIT background cultural-historical objectively real assumptions which > become expressed [made sense of] as persons learn to participate within > these institutional formations. [ thrown into the always already existing > real institutions]. The relational intersubjective dialogical learning of > these historically constituted institutional formations [in > modernity] constitute particular situated psychological formations of > personal subjectivity which emerge as the person RESPONDS to being > recognized as participating in the institutionally structured learning > processes. In the process of learning these institutional forms of > coordination and regulation particular modes of "seeing" and "knowing" as a > gestalt perspective [with no gap between seeing and knowing] constitute > particular KINDS of identity formation. These kinds of identity are > instituted [but not determined]. The person at birthhas entered the > hermeneutic circle of learning and the person's subjectivity or identity as > figure or sense is a PART of this system of objective cultural-historical > "system of meanings." > > The sociocultural turn in psycholgy is the developing awareness > [consciousness?] or sense of these backgrounds or common grounds that > intersubjectively mediate our development as particular KINDS of persons. > > I started a new thread to draw attention to the > "fly-bottles" [institutional frameworks] at the center of learning [as > enculturation]. > > Martin, your article reflecting on learning as ontological and not merely > epistemological is central to my reflections. Also your reflections that the > constructivist notion of development and the interactional notion of > development both lack an historical [institutional?] perspective are central > to my reflections on "systems of meaning" as the objective phenomena from > which sense emerges as consciousness. > > Andy, reading your reflections on this same topic, from my perspective, > seems to share much common ground with Martin's position. Different > emphasis maybe, but the common ground seems to be much greater than the > distinctions. > > Of course, I may be off base completely in my interpretation of how others > are using the word"institution" and its possible word meanings but I'm > wondering if "institution" is linked to the notion of "systems of meaning" > > Larry > > PS > I may be mixing up various discourses and my thoughts may lack precision or > coherence, [eclectic and unsystematic] but this RESPONSE to the other > threads discussed on the list serve is my struggle to make sense of systems > of meaning. >
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