Cultural-historical approaches to children‘s development and childhood
Purpose
The purpose of this section is to create a forum for researchers who are interested in developmental psychology and childhood, with a special focus on using activity theory and the cultural-historical research approach as a way to unite these two opposing approaches to the study of children. Developmental psychology has often been characterised historically as the study of 'the general child', with a focus on developing a model that can be used to evaluate individual children and their changing relation to society as they grow up. Childhood studies have focused on the study of children anchored in historical time and settings; such approaches are more commonly found within anthropological and sociological traditions, especially those that focus on situated and localised practice with children. Cultural-historical approaches seek to unite the general principles in relation to historical time and place.
For Membership of the CHACDOC section write to Mariane Hedegaard (Professor of Developmental Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
Recent News & Updates
For the program for the upcoming preconference from the CHACDOC section at ISCAR Conference Rome 2011 "An analytical approach to children's perspectives based on Cultural-Historical and activity conceptions" see:
http://www.iscar2011.org/eng/
For information about the past and forthcoming meetings of CHACDOC section see:
Hännikäinen Maritta: CREATING TOGETHERNESS AND BUILDING A PRESCHOOL COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS: THE ROLE OF PLAY AND GAMES (pdf document)
Hardman Joanne: Researching pedagogy: an Activity Theory approach. Towards a language of description. (powerpoint presentation, Helsingør, August 2008)
Stetsenko A. & Arievitch I.: Vygotskian collaborative project of social transformation. History, politics, and practice in knowledge construction. Critical Psychology (pdf document)
Stetsenko A. & Arievitch I. (2004). The Self in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. Reclaiming the Unity of Social and Individual Dimensions of Human Development (pdf document)
Stetsenko, A (2004) Introduction to "Tool and Sign in the Development of the Child" (pdf document)
Prof. Mariane Hedegaard
Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Michalis Kontopodis
Mohrenstr. 41, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Meetings
Readings
Contact
Institute of European Ethnology, Humboldt University Berlin,