is that to be consistent about what is eclectic, if systematicity is a
criterion, we need an understanding of what is systematic. Drawing from the
discusion of phillip and i, referencing victor, activity theory is
self-referential and is a good candidate for a framework to determine what is
eclectic and what is not. I think the core concept of activity lets us go
beyond looking solely on an ideal plane -- i can defend this move in future
postings.
The finnish form of AT enables us to look specifically at how theoretical
constructs (artifacts) relate to the object of study, the activity being
research. As I mentioned yesterday, the work of lbe looks at activity as a
system. "So, is the object of study well formed?" is one question to ask of
potential eclectic candidates.
AT includes how the research is distributed among the participants in the study
-- even with forms such as anthropology's participant observation. How
practices such as this coordinate with theoretical constructs (artifacts)
provides us with another way to identify what is eclectic and to what extent.
How well the (potentially eclectic) researchers identify their own work in
relation to the community of researchers (i.e. are they activity system
boundary theorists, or from distributed cognition, or situated cognition, etc.
-- positioning the activity system of the research against other research
activity systems). This may be a core means of determining what is eclectic --
what artifacts move from one research system to another -- and this draws of
course upon star's boundary objects, which are both concrete and abstract. (I'm
thinking of her paper "institutional ecology...").
maybe more later -- this outburst was just necessary to write because the
thoughts were happening and I just could not contain them. and my internet
connection is back at least temporarily.
bb
=====
"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful."
[Norman Maclean in "A river runs through it."]
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