Revisionist Revolution in Vygotsky Studies : The State of the Art

Revisionist Revolution in Vygotsky Studies offers a critical re-evaluation of Vygotsky’s theory of learning and human development. International researchers examine both critical and constructive aspects of the ‘revisionist’ movement and discuss new material derived from previously unpublished material in Vygotsky’s archive. The book will be an essential contribution to Vygotskian scholarship and of interest to researchers in history of psychology, history of science, Soviet/Russian history, philosophical psychology and philosophy of science.

Revisionist Revolution in Vygotsky Studies brings together recent critical investigations which examine historical and textual inaccuracies associated with received understandings of Vygotsky’s work. By deconstructing the Vygotskian narrative, the authors debunk the ''cult of Vygotsky'', allowing for a new, exciting interpretation of the logic and direction of his theory. The chapters cover a number of important themes, including:

• The chronology of Vygotsky’s ideas and theory development, and the main core of his theoretical writings
• Relationships between Vygotskians and their Western colleagues
• The international reception of Vygotskian psychology and problems of translation
• The future development of Vygotskian science

Using Vygotsky’s published and unpublished writings the authors present a detailed historical understanding of Vygotsky’s thought, and the circumstances in which he worked. It includes coverage of the organization of academic psychology in the Soviet Union, the network of scholars associated with Vygotsky in the interwar period, and the assumed publication ban on Vygotsky’s writings.

This volume is the first to provide an overview of revisionist studies of Vygotsky’s work, and is the product of close international collaboration between revisionist scholars. It will be an essential contribution to Vygotskian scholarship, and of great interest to researchers in the history of psychology, history of science, Soviet/Russian history, philosophical psychology and philosophy of science.