SYMP 118 - The motivating sphere of consciousness in/as praxis: empirical studies

The aim to overcome the Cartesian dualism between subject and object, mind and body, and most characteristically, individual and society when theorizing about human activity is fundamental to the cultural-historical theory research. Yet, the challenge of theoretically and empirically accounting for the individual subject that transforms and is transformed in societal activity is one of the most often discussed and critiqued in the literature (Engeström, 2009). A follow-up to the roundtable titled The motivating sphere of consciousness: Vygotskian conceptualizations of the individual subject in contemporary CHAT research, the present symposium aims to illustrate ways in which aspects often attributed to the individual person such as motivation and emotions are examined within a cultural-historical framework. Grounded on empirical data, four contributions will exhibit and discuss ways in which the changing subject is accounted for while participating in changing education and work praxis. The four studies represent four different ways in which current research examines such crucial aspects or moments of activity across a range of professional and educational settings.