Re: [xmca] My ISCAR

I didn't know about your second paper, Mary. It is entitled "Activity
Theory and reconceptualising HIV/AIDS interventions." I attached it
below. Another very good paper!

In certain ways, from the point of view of exploring the possibilities
(and limitations) of trying to apply CHAT to social issues like the
HIV/AIDS crisis, it is even better than the first paper. It is more
concrete in that it goes beyond just analysis and description. Both
papers are refreshing in the way your analyses and methods draw so
consistently and capably on Engestrom's interpretations and expansions
on CHAT theory (3rd generation CHAT). I find your methodology in
particular exemplary - you explain very clearly how CHAT drives the
way you conduct your analysis. You stick with CHAT in its current
"classic" Engestromian form and apply it as thoroughly as you can to a
vital social problem that lies outside any specific institution, and
which desperately needs a major solution - but nobody yet knows what
it is. I think these papers would be helpful to anyone attempting to
apply contemporary CHAT to a social problem.

I find your discussion about "social mobilization" in the second paper
very interesting. From my reading - and perhaps I am off on this -
the social mobilization you discuss is a particular community-based
and led education campaign promoting HIV/AIDS and condom use in a
particular town. Your observations and discussion of the mildly
positive but unsatisfying results of that campaign led you to conclude
the paper by posing some thoughtful questions regarding a possible
improved approach, using Engestrom's principles of Expansive Learning
and the Change Laboratory to the "not-using-condoms" crisis.

You ask at the end of your paper whether the Change Laboratory program
can actually be successfully implemented outside a workplace. This is
also an important contribution that your paper makes - you are showing
ways to explore both real possibilities and possible limitations of
CHAT as we currently know it.

The concept of "social mobilization" especially struck me because it
is a crucial one in political Marxism. An established theory of
political Marxism (unlike academic Marxism, which is not infrequently
apolitical) is that the struggles of the oppressed and exploited
classes and social layers can potentially transform them into the
leaders and leading forces of a revolutionary movement to establish a
new society. As many know, political Marxists employ what they call a
"class analysis" to social struggles, and use this kind of analysis to
explain how some social mobilizations can be revolutionary, and
others, reactionary.

So this leads me to some questions. How and with what analytical
"tools" (apologies to Michael R for perhaps overusing that metaphor!)
can CHAT analyze "social mobilizations"? Are these analytical tools
sufficient to distinguish between different kinds of social
mobilizations? For example, can CHAT clearly distinguish between,
say, the movement to end apartheid in South Africa that came to
victory in 1994, and, for example, the social mobilizations associated
with German fascism in (approx) 1925-1945? This seems like a flippant
question because clearly, any person involved in CHAT would likely
have very strong feelings about the obvious differences between a
fascist movement and a struggle to end apartheid, and would have
little difficulty pointing them out. But does **CHAT** by itself have
the tools and methods to make these kinds of distinctions? Or do
other theoretical concepts need to be brought in to supplement it? If
this is so, what kinds of political, economic etc. theories and
analyses would be - and would not be - compatible with CHAT? And by
what method(s) could this compatibility be determined?

Best,
~ Steve

On Sep 29, 2008, at 3:15 AM, Mary van der Riet wrote:

> Hi all
> As suggested by Mike, I attach my ISCAR paper
> CHAT and HIV/AIDS: An activity system analysis of a lack of
> behaviour change
>
> Feedback is welcomed
>
> I presented a second paper at ISCAR which dealt a bit more with the
> idea of 'interventions' in response to the problem of HIV. This
> paper is also available on the Moodle site, but I can send it on if
> anyone is interested.
>
> Mary

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