TY - JOUR

T1 - Activity Theory for the De-Structuralized Modernity

AU - Mironenko, Irina A.

AU - Sorokin, Pavel S.

N1 - Funding Information: Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), project № 20–013-00260; Basic Research Program at the NRU HSE (Academic Excellence Project ‘5–100’). Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2022/12

Y1 - 2022/12

N2 - The present paper discusses perspectives of Activity Theory (AT) in the context of contemporary globalizing world, describing which we refer to the notion “De-structuralized modernity” (Sorokin and Froumin 2020). Radical changes in everyday life challenge social sciences and humanities. Approaches are in demand, which have the potential to comprehend the changing human étant and éntre. We argue that Activity Theory has the potential to face these challenges. Leontiev’s AT grounds on the idea of qualitatively new mental features arising to deal with novel environmental challenges, which is much in line with J.M. Baldwin reasoning on evolution. AT also offers a method to prognosis the upcoming neoplasms. In the same time, applying classics of AT to the current reality, “De-structuralized modernity”, entails the need for new theoretical elaborations of the latter, stemming from the radical transformation of the relations between individual and socio-cultural environments. A unique societal context emerges on the global level, which, on the one hand, requires individual to adapt constantly to changing socio-cultural reality, and, on the other hand, dramatically expands his/her potential for proactive actorhood transforming surrounding structures. We argue that the major and novel challenge for the individual is that maintaining the integrity and coherence of the a) Self-identity and b) system of links with the socio-cultural environment - in their dynamics and unity, has become a qualitatively different issue, much more complicated and problematic than ever before. The notion of “culture” has particular relevance and importance in this context because it allows grasping simultaneously two dimensions in their dynamic dialectical interrelations. First, the “internal” (“subjective”, “in the minds”) and “external” (“objective”, material and institutional environment) realities. Second, individual (“micro”) and societal (“macro”) scales of human activities. Discussing the ways to understand these dynamics, we dispute the popular “constitutive view” on personality and refer to the concept of the “ontological shift” (Mironenko and Sorokin 2018). We also highlight how technological advancements change and “expand” human nature making it capable to deal with the outlined new tasks.

AB - The present paper discusses perspectives of Activity Theory (AT) in the context of contemporary globalizing world, describing which we refer to the notion “De-structuralized modernity” (Sorokin and Froumin 2020). Radical changes in everyday life challenge social sciences and humanities. Approaches are in demand, which have the potential to comprehend the changing human étant and éntre. We argue that Activity Theory has the potential to face these challenges. Leontiev’s AT grounds on the idea of qualitatively new mental features arising to deal with novel environmental challenges, which is much in line with J.M. Baldwin reasoning on evolution. AT also offers a method to prognosis the upcoming neoplasms. In the same time, applying classics of AT to the current reality, “De-structuralized modernity”, entails the need for new theoretical elaborations of the latter, stemming from the radical transformation of the relations between individual and socio-cultural environments. A unique societal context emerges on the global level, which, on the one hand, requires individual to adapt constantly to changing socio-cultural reality, and, on the other hand, dramatically expands his/her potential for proactive actorhood transforming surrounding structures. We argue that the major and novel challenge for the individual is that maintaining the integrity and coherence of the a) Self-identity and b) system of links with the socio-cultural environment - in their dynamics and unity, has become a qualitatively different issue, much more complicated and problematic than ever before. The notion of “culture” has particular relevance and importance in this context because it allows grasping simultaneously two dimensions in their dynamic dialectical interrelations. First, the “internal” (“subjective”, “in the minds”) and “external” (“objective”, material and institutional environment) realities. Second, individual (“micro”) and societal (“macro”) scales of human activities. Discussing the ways to understand these dynamics, we dispute the popular “constitutive view” on personality and refer to the concept of the “ontological shift” (Mironenko and Sorokin 2018). We also highlight how technological advancements change and “expand” human nature making it capable to deal with the outlined new tasks.

KW - Activity theory . Evolution ofmind . “Ontological shift” . “De-structuralized modernity” . Culture . Technological advancements . Gadgets . Socio-cultural identity . Self-identity

KW - Activity theory

KW - Evolution of mind

KW - “Ontological shift”

KW - “De-structuralized modernity”

KW - Culture

KW - Technological advancements

KW - Gadgets

KW - Socio-cultural identity

KW - Self-identity

KW - De-structuralized modernity&#8221

KW - &#8220

KW - EDUCATION

KW - PSYCHOLOGY

KW - CHALLENGES

KW - GLOBAL SOCIOLOGY

KW - END

KW - Ontological shift

KW - Ontological shift&#8221

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096069068&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/50c47a8b-8853-3555-b405-3cebfe839ab4/

U2 - 10.1007/s12124-020-09587-4

DO - 10.1007/s12124-020-09587-4

M3 - Article

C2 - 33200340

AN - SCOPUS:85096069068

VL - 56

SP - 1055

EP - 1071

JO - Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science

JF - Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science

SN - 1932-4502

IS - 4

ER -