Re: [xmca] Vygotsky's Plural Discourse!!

[kangasoj@mappi.helsinki.fi]

Dear all,

I'd like to start the discussion on Jussi's paper by a couple of words  
on the heuristic Jussi uses, namely Althusser's idea of  
'epistemological breaks' in making a new science. Jussi is using the  
idea as Foucault used it in Arhaeology of Knowledge - by tracing the  
epistemic contradictions and transformations in the development of  
science.

'New scinece starts with concepts borrowed from the old theories, and  
because of this the demarcation line between the old and the new  
science is within the new theory'.

Jussi asks firstly: how does the transition to a non-classical or  
'organic psychology' really occur in Vygostky's thinking. As far as I  
understand, this type of developmental analysis has only been possible  
for a relatively short time for the non-russian speakers after the  
collected works appeared in English.

Jussi identifies three phases: A socio behaviourist phase of young  
Vygotsky, the founding phase of cultural historical psychology and the  
late Vygotsky's work. I think one of the key contributions of the  
paper is how Jussi relates these phases to the 'current disputes about  
the continuity or discontinuity between key figures in the Vygotsky  
school.'

In this note I will not go further into Jussi's actual argument on how  
the contradictions and transformations occurred in Vygotsky's thinking  
- I hope others will soon pick up the thread regarding those - but  
rather I'd like to connect to a personal experience from last week: I  
went to listed to Uffe Juul Jensen speak at the Unversity of Helsinki  
on 'Do we need a new philosophy of medicine?'. Uffe started out with a  
self reflective account on how where he grew up and studied, and the  
shifting intellectual currents around him formed who he was and is as  
a person, and how this is connected with how his thinking has evolved.  
This account reminded me very much of Jean Lave's wonderful  
autobiographical/intellectual history speech at ISCAR (in Seth's  
session where Jean, Uffe  and Ray McDermott all gave a talk).

As I read Jussi's paper I realized that the heuristic discontinuous  
change he is using is somehow related to this particular type of  
scholarly (self) reflexivity that is very powerful and liberating. I  
don't really know yet what to make of it, but I recognize it as  
something of vital importance.

best, Jonna



Quoting "Mike Cole" <lchcmike@gmail.com>:

> Go to http://www.lchc.ucsd.edu/MCA/Paper/index.html
> and read all about it! Jussi's new paper proposed for
> discussion is now posted.
> mike
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca


_______________________________________________
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca