Vygotsky: an intellectual biography

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"– The most famous Russian psychologist, whose life and ideas are least known? – A pioneer of psychology who said virtually nothing new? – A simple man who became a genius after he died? This fundamentally novel intellectual biography offers a 21st-century account of the life and times of Lev Vygotsky, who has long been considered a pioneer in the field of learning and human development. The diverse Vygotskian literature has created many distinct images of this influential scientist, which has led many researchers to attempt to unearth ‘the real Vygotsky’. Rather than join this quest to over-simplify Vygotsky’s legacy, this book attempts to understand the development of ‘the multiple Vygotskies’ by exploring a number of personae that Vygotsky assumed at different periods of his life. Based on the most recent archival, textological and historical investigations in original, uncensored Russian, the author presents a ground-breaking account that is far from the shiny success story that is typically associated with ‘the cult of Vygotsky’. This book will be an essential contribution to Vygotskian scholarship and of interest to advanced students and researchers in history of psychology, history of science, Soviet/Russian history, philosophical psychology, and philosophy of science." – https://www.routledge.com/Vygotsky-An-Intellectual-Biography/Yasnitsky/p/book/9781138806740 Contents Cover legend Ouverture 1. Prophet The Gomel years (1896–1913) A Jew admitted to the Imperial Moscow University Literary criticism (1914–1916) Beba Vygodskii: the “young Jewish prophet” The Russian Revolution (1917–1918) Lev Vygodskii during the Russian Revolution The First World War (1914–1918) and its aftermath In Ukrainian Gomel in 1918 2. Bolshevik Gomel during the Russian Civil War The “cultural front”, Marxism, and the “new man” Lev Vygotsky in Gomel in 1919–1921 New Economic Policy (NEP) and the birth of the Soviet Union Vygotsky as a publisher, political activist, and theatrical critic (1922–1923) 3. Reflexologist Vygotsky teaches and lectures Vygotsky’s entrance into psychology Teaching about reflexes: Pavlov’s and Bekhterev’s research methods Vygotsky’s new method: “Double Stimulation” Vygotsky and reflexology Second Psychoneurological Congress as a landmark 4. Psychologist Alexander Luria: Vygotsky’s alter ego Vygotsky’s return to Moscow Marxist practicality and the “new science” The variety of “new psychologies” The trip to London and its aftermath Vygotsky’s three books Psychology as a science about the superman The Vygotsky–Luria Circle: people and institutes “Instrumental Psychology” Unexpected discoveries: word meaning, dialogue, and inner speech The outcomes of the 1920s 5. Revisionist Stalin’s Great Break and the Cultural Revolution Vygotsky’s life and career at the turn of the decade Ninth International Psychological Congress and its impact Towards a new psychological theory The demise of “reactology” Criticizing Vygotsky Vygotsky criticizes… Vygotsky Expeditions to Central Asia in 1931 and 1932 Revisionist conclusion 6. Holist The challenge of totality: holistic Gestalt psychology Kurt Lewin’s “Galileian” psychology The Vygotsky–Luria Circle in the 1930s Major theoretical reconstruction and new experimentation “The threshold of a new theory”: the pessimistic Epilogue. Genius Timeline of landmark events Glossary Conventions and acknowledgements Bibliography Index