A MAN OF HIS COUNTRY AND HIS TIME: Jewish Influences on Lev Semionovich Vygotsky's World View

Bella Kotik-Friedgut, Theodore H. Friedgut*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

Lev Semionovich Vygotsky created the cultural-historical school of psychology, yet all too few of those writing about his work take into account the family, education, and cultural tradition from which he came. The authors contend that the Jewish nature of these elements was of some importance in forming his personality and his consciousness. The 1st part of the article traces his early upbringing, describes the Jewishness of his environment, notes 3 instances in which his "otherness" was imprinted on his consciousness, and points to the sources of his determination to forge a harmonious synthesis with his environment. The 2nd part examines his writings, both earlier journalistic and mature psychological, and points to evidence of the influence of his Jewish upbringing and environment on his work.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)15-39
Number of pages25
JournalHistory of Psychology
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2008

Keywords

  • cultural-historical psychology
  • Jews in Russia
  • Lev Seminovich Vygotsky
  • Soviet psychology

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