International Society for Cultural
and Activity Research

Purpose

The purpose of this section is to act as a forum for scholars and practitioners who seek to ground their work with atypical populations in cultural, institutional and historical practices. Rather than investigating either neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism, syndromes) or acquired disorders (e.g., head trauma, stroke), those participating in this section are concerned with the contribution of atypical yet functional uses of mediational means for personal development. As such, the goal is to provide a forum for those who while acknowledging the biology of human functioning, wish to focus on the cultural, institutional and historical situatedness of human action. Thus, members of this section seek to contribute to the ongoing ISCAR dialogue that provides theoretical and methodological languages that support research on the cultural and functional aspects of human mental functioning in populations who are frequently characterized by either atypical or acquired neurological differences.

Themes

Themes include but are not limited to communication, development, discourses, gerontology, identity, learning, work and workforce transitions.

Members

ISCAR members who conduct research, educate and/or treat atypical populations (e.g., audiology, deaf education, social work, special education, speech-language pathology) may especially be interested in joining this section.

Contact

For more information: Fran Hagstrom fhagstr@uark.edu