{"id":7054,"date":"2006-10-21T10:35:42","date_gmt":"2006-10-21T10:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/2006\/10\/21\/engestrm-activi\/"},"modified":"2006-10-21T10:35:42","modified_gmt":"2006-10-21T10:35:42","slug":"engestrm-activi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/2006\/10\/21\/engestrm-activi\/","title":{"rendered":"Engeström, “Activity Theory and Individual and Social Transformation”"},"content":{"rendered":"\u23f3 Approximate reading time: <\/span> 4<\/span> mins<\/span><\/span>\n

Engeström,
\n Yrjö. "Activity Theory and Individual and Social Transformation."
\n Engeström, Yrjö, et al., eds. Perspectives on Activity
\n Theory: Learning in Doing: Social, Cognitive & Computational Perspectives<\/i>.
\n New York: Cambridge UP, 1999. 19-39.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The introduction to this collection, Perspectives on Activity Theory<\/i>,
\nand Engestrom’s opening chapter, "Activity Theory and Individual and Social
\nTransformation" together offer a reasonably thorough, if condensed, introduction
\nto some of the central tenets of activity theory. Basically, activity
\ntheory grows out of Marx-influenced researchers in sociology and psychology who
\nfound limited explanatory power in the traditional frameworks<\/b> for making
\nsense of socioeconomic structures (typically top-down and "stable, all-powerful,
\nand self-sufficient" (19)). In many of the contemporary, interdisciplinary
\napplications of AT, Marx recedes from center stage, while activity theory
\ncontinues to pursue a kind of "radical localism"<\/b> (36) as a departure from
\nmechanical materialism<\/b> or idealism<\/b> (mentation as its own domain
\ndetached from physical substance). <\/p>\n

In an effort to explain what he means by a "dynamically evolving cell concept
\nof activity," Engestrom identifies and defines six dichotomous themes<\/b>
\nrelated to activity theory.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Psychic processes versus object-related activity (21)<\/li>\n
  2. Goal-directed action versus object-related activity (22)
    \n Analysis across levels (scales) risks an "individualist and ahistorical"
    \n orientation\/bias (23)<\/li>\n
  3. Instrumental tool-mediated production versus expressive sign-mediated
    \n communication (23)
    \n Risks (as in Leont’ev) "prototypical forms of activity" (23)<\/li>\n
  4. Relativism versus historicism (25)
    \n "Any conceptual framework that postulates a predetermined sequence of stages
    \n of sociohistorical development will easily entail suspicious notions of what
    \n is ‘primitive’ and what is ‘advanced,’ what is backward and what is good"
    \n (25).<\/li>\n
  5. Internalization versus creation and externalization (26)<\/li>\n
  6. Principle of explanation versus object of study (27)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Next, Engestrom synthesizes three questions that draw together the six
    \nthemes:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. "First, how can we depict the cell<\/b> of activity theory or, more
      \n specifically, what would be a viable way of modeling the structure<\/b> and
      \n dynamic relations<\/b> of an activity system?"<\/li>\n
    2. "Second, how can we incorporate historicity<\/b> and developmental
      \n judgment<\/b> into activity-theoretical analyses, yet take fully into account
      \n the diversity<\/b> and multiplicity<\/b> inherent in human activities?"<\/li>\n
    3. "And third, what kind of a methodology<\/b> is appropriate for
      \n activity-theoretical research–one that could bridge the gaps between the
      \n basic<\/b> and the applied<\/b>, between conceptualization<\/b> and
      \n intervention<\/b>?"<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Engestrom goes on to attempt to answer each of these questions after he
      \nstrongly emphasizes mediation as a pivotal term\/concept for activity theory.
      \nGaining control of artifacts, he explains, is akin to gaining control of one’s
      \nfuture (29). In the next section, "Modeling the Activity System," Engestrom
      \npresents two variations of a triadic model (subject-object-mediating artifacts)
      \nalso a systemic model (see Spinuzzi<\/b> for application), calling attention
      \nto the value in being able to move across scales<\/b> from individual action
      \nto large-scale or organization-level activity.<\/p>\n

      Key terms: [<\/b>From the Introduction: activity theory (1), idealism (3),
      \nmechanical materialism (3), distributed cognition (8), monocausal<\/b> (9),
      \ninteractive system model (9), mediating artifacts (9), Wertsch’s mediated action
      \n(11), Lave & Wenger’s community of practice (12), mediation as "germ cell" (13)]<\/b>,
      \npsychic process (21), object-related activity (21), goal-directed activity (22),
      \nactivity prototypes (23), relativism (25), historicism (25), internalization
      \n(26), externalization (27).<\/p>\n

      [<\/b>From the Introduction: <\/b>"In the post-World War II decades,
      \nactivity theory was mostly developed within the psychology of play, learning,
      \nand child development. It was applied in research on language acquisition and
      \nexperimental development of instruction, mainly in the context of schools and
      \nother educational institutions. Although these domains continue to be central,
      \nactivity-theoretical research has become broader in the 1980s and 1990s. It now
      \nencompasses such topics as development of work activities, implementation of new
      \ncultural tools such as computer technologies, and issues of therapy" (2). <\/p>\n

      "Activity theory has a strong candidate for such a unit of analysis in the
      \nconcept of object-oriented, collective, and culturally mediated human
      \nactivity<\/b>, or activity system. Minimum elements of this system include the
      \nobject<\/b>, subject<\/b>, mediating artifacts <\/b>(signs<\/b> and
      \ntools<\/b>), rules<\/b>, community<\/b>, and division of labor<\/b> (Engestrom,
      \n1987; Cole & Engestrom, 1993)" (9). <\/p>\n

      "Activity system as a unit of analysis calls for complementarity of the
      \nsystem view<\/b> and the subject’s view<\/b>. The analyst constructs the
      \nactivity system as if looking at it from above<\/b>" (10). <\/p>\n

      "Activity theory recognizes two basic processes operating continuously at
      \nevery level of human activities: internalization<\/b> and externalization<\/b>.
      \nInternalization is related to reproduction of culture; externalization as
      \ncreation of new artifacts makes possible its transformation" (10).]<\/b> <\/p>\n

      "If anything, the current societal transformations should teach us that
      \nclosed systems of thought do not work<\/b>. But monism does not have to be
      \ninterpreted that way. Human activity is endlessly multifaceted, mobile, and rich
      \nin variations of form and content" (20).<\/p>\n

      "In most of these [goal-directed] theories, individual action<\/b> is
      \nregarded as the unit of analysis and as the key to understanding human
      \nfunctioning. The orienting function of goals and plans, the sequential
      \nstructure, and the levels of regulation of actions have received a lot of
      \nattention. But these theories seem to have difficulties in accounting for the
      \nsocially distributed<\/b> or collective aspects<\/b> as well as the
      \nartifact-mediated<\/b> or cultural aspects<\/b> of purposeful human behavior"
      \n(22).<\/p>\n

      "Mediation<\/b> by tools<\/b> and signs<\/b> is not merely a
      \npsychological idea. It is an idea that breaks down the Cartesian walls that
      \nisolate the individual mind from the culture and society" (29). <\/p>\n

      "The idea is that humans can control their own behavior–not ‘from the
      \ninside,’<\/b> on the basis of biological urges, but ‘from the outside,’<\/b>
      \nusing<\/b> and creating artifacts<\/b>" (29). i.e., Vygotsky’s auxiliary
      \nstimulus<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

      "In this sense, it might be useful to try to look at the society more as a
      \nmultilayered network of interconnected activity systems<\/b> and less as a
      \npyramid of rigid structures dependent on a single center of power" (36).<\/p>\n

      \n
      Related sources:<\/dt>\n
      Engestrom, Yrjo. Learning, Working, and Imagining: Twelve Studies in
      \n Activity Theory<\/i>. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsulit, 1990.<\/dd>\n
      Giddens, Anthony. The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of
      \n Structuration<\/i>. Berkeley: U of California P, 1984.<\/dd>\n
      Hutchins, Edwin. "The Technology of Team Navigation." Intellectual
      \n Teamwork: Social and Technological Foundations of Cooperative Work<\/i>.
      \n Galegher, Kraut, Edigo, eds. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1990.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      \u23f3 Approximate reading time: <\/span> 4<\/span> mins<\/span><\/span>Engeström, Yrjö. "Activity Theory and Individual and Social Transformation." Engeström, Yrjö, et al., eds. Perspectives on Activity Theory: Learning in Doing: Social, Cognitive & Computational Perspectives. New York: Cambridge UP, 1999. 19-39.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[175],"tags":[699,142,1991,1127,1363,1364,1365,1964,1366,1326,489,1327,1236,141,1367,1368,288,1328,1162,1131,1362,769],"class_list":["post-7054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-toolsinuse","tag-action","tag-activity","tag-actor-networks","tag-artifacts","tag-auxiliary","tag-cell","tag-coevolution","tag-distributed-cognition","tag-externalization","tag-internalization","tag-latour","tag-mediation","tag-methodology","tag-models","tag-monism","tag-multivoicedness","tag-practice","tag-signs","tag-situatedcognition","tag-tools","tag-vygotsky","tag-work"],"yoast_head":"\nEngeström, "Activity Theory and Individual and Social Transformation" - Earth Wide Moth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/2006\/10\/21\/engestrm-activi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Engeström, "Activity Theory and Individual and Social Transformation" - Earth Wide Moth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u23f3 Approximate reading time: 4 minsEngeström, Yrjö. 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Russell proposes that the convergence of activity theory and North American genre theory (read largely through Bazernman's genre systems) yields a useful blend for researchers concerned with accounting for the ties between\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tools-in-use"","block_context":{"text":"Tools-in-use","link":"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/category\/toolsinuse\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7047,"url":"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/2006\/10\/04\/post-1-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7054,"position":1},"title":"Bazerman, “Discursively Structured Activities”","author":"Derek Mueller","date":"October 4, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Bazerman, Charles. \"Discursively Structured Activities.\" Mind, Culture, and Activity 4.4 (1997): 296-308. Bazerman is concerned with accounting descriptively for the roles of discourse in structuring systemic activity. He notes that discourse is a fundament to social structure; it provides a \"regularizing force.\" As such, Bazerman folds together Vygotskyan principles of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tools-in-use"","block_context":{"text":"Tools-in-use","link":"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/category\/toolsinuse\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6990,"url":"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/2006\/07\/01\/dias-et-al-dist\/","url_meta":{"origin":7054,"position":2},"title":"Dias et al., “Distributed Cognition at Work”","author":"Derek Mueller","date":"July 1, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Dias, Patrick, Aviva Freedman, Peter Medway, and Anthony Pare. \"Distributed Cognition at Work.\" Cushman, Kintgen, Kroll, and Rose 199-208. Dias et al. (reprinted here from Worlds Apart) briefly introduce the concept of distributed cognition, which recognizes \"that 'people appear to think in conjunction or partnership with others and with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing Technologies"","block_context":{"text":"Writing Technologies","link":"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/category\/writing_technol\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9426,"url":"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/16\/run-up-to-theories-of-written-communication\/","url_meta":{"origin":7054,"position":3},"title":"Run-up to Theories of Written Communication \ud83d\udcc6","author":"Derek Mueller","date":"August 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Photo [I'm retitling \"Bloom Spaces\"] by Matt Artz on Unsplash A full month has blinked by in this run-up to the start of classes on August 26. That's the day of our first meeting in ENGL6524: Theories of Written Communication. 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