Abstract

CENCI, Adriane  and  DAMIANI, Magda Floriana. The development of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory in three generations: Vygotsky, Leontiev and Engeström. Roteiro. UNOESC [online]. 2018, vol.43, n.3, pp.919-948. ISSN 2177-6059.  https://doi.org/10.18593/r.v43i3.16594.

The Cultural-Historical Activity Theory is a living theory, which has been developed since the 1920s and 1930s, seeking to understand the formation of the human in social activity. The Theory has been transformed pari passu with the changes in the cultural contexts of the theoretical and practical investigations that use it, thus presenting changes and continuity of ideas throughout its development. In this sense, three generations of the Theory have been defined by some scholars, each represented by an exponent in the research area: the first by Vygotsky (founder), the second by Leontiev and the third by Engeström. The purpose of this article is to present the theoretical proposals of the three authors, outlining the relationships between them and offering an overview of the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. The concept of activity, which in Vygotsky appears as mediated activity (mediated by signs and tools), in Leontiev appears as collective activity, the basis of human consciousness, and in Engeström appears as a system of activity in transformation. The production and expansion of the Theory can be understood as historical and collective activities.

Keywords : Vygotsky; Leontiev; Engeström; Cultural-Historical Activity Theory..

        · abstract in Portuguese | Spanish     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )