Lev Vygotsky [Paperback]

Lev Vygotsky, the great Russian psychologist, had a profound influence on educational thought. His work on the perception of art, cultural-historical theory of the mind and the zone of proximal development all had an impact on modern education.

This text provides a succinct critical account of Vygotsky's life and work against the background of the political events and social turmoil of that time and analyses his cross-cultural research and the application of his ideas to contemporary education. Ren? van der Veer offers his own interpretation of Vygotsky as both the man and anti-man of educational philosophy, concluding that the strength of Vygotsky's legacy lies in its unfinished, open nature.

Ren? van der Veeris Casimir Professor of the History of Education at Leiden University, Netherlands. He is the author of articles and books about the history of developmental psychology and education. His current fields of interest include attachment theory, parenting advice and cultural-historical theory. Among his major books areUnderstanding Vygotsky(1991, with J. Valsiner),The Vygotsky Reader(1994, with J. Valsiner),The Social Mind(2000, with J. Valsiner) andThe Cambridge Handbook of Cultural-Historical Psychology(2014, with A. Yasnitsky and M. Ferrari).

Foreword
Series Editor's Preface
Preface

Introduction

Part I: Intellectual Biography
1. Lev Vygotsky

Part II: Critical Exposition of Vygotsky's Work
2. Early Writings
3. Creating Cultural-historical Theory
4. The Zone of Proximal Development
5. Cross-cultural Education

Part III: The Reception, Influence and Relevance of Vygotsky's Work Today
6. Contemporary Educational Research
7. Conclusions

Bibliography
Name Index
Subject Index