Vygotsky: between socio-cultural relativism and historical materialism. From a psychological to a pedagogical perspective
In this paper I draw a distinction between two strands of argument that have evolved in the wake of Vygotsky’s early 20th century writing. I examine key methodological differences between sociocultural relativism and historical materialism. I then consider the pedagogical implications of these diffe...
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| Format: | Journal article |
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Moscow State University of Psychology and Education
2018
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| _version_ | 1826293302796746752 |
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| author | Daniels, H |
| author_facet | Daniels, H |
| author_sort | Daniels, H |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | In this paper I draw a distinction between two strands of argument that have evolved in the wake of Vygotsky’s early 20th century writing. I examine key methodological differences between sociocultural relativism and historical materialism. I then consider the pedagogical implications of these differences. My concern is that the all too common western predeliction for a post modern account yields a deeply conservative approach to pedagogy. In this form pedagogy may loose its power as a tool of social transformation and may curtail the possibilities for individual transformation. I close with a quote which neatly captures this concern: “Methodology is not a "toolbox" of different methods from which the researcher selects some on the basis of personal or social preferences! Instead, it is an integrated structure of the epistemological process (Branco & Valsiner, 1997) that can equally and easily reveal and obscure the empirical reality in the knowledge construction process of social scientists”. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T03:28:01Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:b9b8dd5e-6eb7-4e3e-90c1-bf381de2bf21 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T03:28:01Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Moscow State University of Psychology and Education |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:b9b8dd5e-6eb7-4e3e-90c1-bf381de2bf212022-03-27T05:04:56ZVygotsky: between socio-cultural relativism and historical materialism. From a psychological to a pedagogical perspectiveJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:b9b8dd5e-6eb7-4e3e-90c1-bf381de2bf21Symplectic Elements at OxfordMoscow State University of Psychology and Education2018Daniels, HIn this paper I draw a distinction between two strands of argument that have evolved in the wake of Vygotsky’s early 20th century writing. I examine key methodological differences between sociocultural relativism and historical materialism. I then consider the pedagogical implications of these differences. My concern is that the all too common western predeliction for a post modern account yields a deeply conservative approach to pedagogy. In this form pedagogy may loose its power as a tool of social transformation and may curtail the possibilities for individual transformation. I close with a quote which neatly captures this concern: “Methodology is not a "toolbox" of different methods from which the researcher selects some on the basis of personal or social preferences! Instead, it is an integrated structure of the epistemological process (Branco & Valsiner, 1997) that can equally and easily reveal and obscure the empirical reality in the knowledge construction process of social scientists”. |
| spellingShingle | Daniels, H Vygotsky: between socio-cultural relativism and historical materialism. From a psychological to a pedagogical perspective |
| title | Vygotsky: between socio-cultural relativism and historical materialism. From a psychological to a pedagogical perspective |
| title_full | Vygotsky: between socio-cultural relativism and historical materialism. From a psychological to a pedagogical perspective |
| title_fullStr | Vygotsky: between socio-cultural relativism and historical materialism. From a psychological to a pedagogical perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vygotsky: between socio-cultural relativism and historical materialism. From a psychological to a pedagogical perspective |
| title_short | Vygotsky: between socio-cultural relativism and historical materialism. From a psychological to a pedagogical perspective |
| title_sort | vygotsky between socio cultural relativism and historical materialism from a psychological to a pedagogical perspective |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielsh vygotskybetweensocioculturalrelativismandhistoricalmaterialismfromapsychologicaltoapedagogicalperspective |