Consciousness via practice and participation: Interactivism vis-à-vis other theoretical accounts

Abstract

The interactivist proposal presented by Christopher and Bickhard addresses fundamental issues of great importance for a metatheory of cultural psychology, especially one that is concerned with the detailed articulation of the origins of consciousness via practice and participation. Such issues include the much debated concepts of internalization, agency, levels of knowing and representation. While being an elegant account that offers interesting insights, its use of other approaches and theorists-be they classic or current-is irritating. This is particularly discussed in the cases of Karl Marx and, in greater detail, of Lev Vygotsky and his sociohistorical psychology. It is argued that dealing with these and other authors in more depth would be necessary, fruitful and sooner or later even indispensable, not only in order to avoid misinterpretations or to enrich the interactivist account, but also to answer the pre-eminent question as to the surplus of this proposal in comparison to others.