Activity Theory: An Introduction

Alex Levant (Editor), Kyoko Murakami (Editor), Miriam McSweeney (Editor)

Research output: Book/ReportScholarly edition

Abstract

The book aims to introduce the current generation of theorists and researchers to a rich theoretical tradition known as Activity Theory (AT). From its beginnings in early Soviet psychology to its suppression by Stalin, and its recent rediscovery and revival in the West and Japan, AT developed in different directions across a variety of disciplines. However, this eclectic body of thought remained until recently “the best-held secret of academia” (Engeström 2009).

AT refers to an interdisciplinary methodological approach to the study of the origin and development of the human mind used in a number of specialized   fields in the social sciences around the world today. The core proposition of AT is that the mind is not reducible to the functions of the physical brain, body, or genes, nor is it essentially a discursive, linguistic, or a cultural phenomenon.
Instead, AT refocuses its lens from the individual’s mind to their actions in the context of object-oriented social practices, or activities. Following Soviet psychologists, Lev Vygotsky and Alexei Leontiev, AT suggests that mental development occurs inter-subjectively, and is subsequently internalized by individuals who are always embedded, along with their culture and language,
in patterns of activity. By shifting the unit of analysis from the individual to the activity patterns in which they move, this method illuminates a special reality (Ilyenkov 2014) – the materiality of human activity, which shapes the subject in ways that biological and cultural explanations cannot fully account.
The book is organized into three parts. Part One – Histories, Lineages, and   theories – orients the reader to the origin and development of AT from its beginnings in the Soviet Union, to its development in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, and the U.S.
Part Two – Current Trends: Applications/Interventions – showcases the work of contemporary AT scholars across various fields,
including Science Education, Social Movement Theory, Contemporary Philosophy, Technology Studies, and Posthuman Theory.
Part Three – Futures – consists of interventions by leading AT scholars on the contemporary significance and future of AT.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationSyuttgart, Germany
PublisherIbidem Verlag
ISBN (Print)9783838216508
Publication statusPublished - 11 Mar 2024

Keywords

  • Activity Theory
  • CHAT

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