100 Years of Cultural-Historical Psychology in the «Cultural-Historical Psychology» Journal

A new issue of the journal “Cultural-Historical Psychology,” No. 3, 2024, has been published, marking the journal’s anniversary. This special issue focuses on reflecting on the century-long journey of the scientific school of cultural-historical psychology and the new perspectives emerging today.

In the “Theory and Methodology” section, readers will find a brief overview of the origins and development of the cultural-historical theory of higher psychological functions over the past century (article by V.V. Rubtsov, V.K. Zaretsky, and A.D. Maidansky). The section also presents a new, original interpretation of L.S. Vygotsky's early works (N.N. Nechaev) and an analysis of the structure of self-regulation in activities and its potential disruptions (D.A. Leontiev).

The “Core Concepts” section offers readers new research on key concepts of cultural-historical psychology, such as internalization (A.D. Maidansky), the zone of proximal development (V.K. Zaretsky), and signs and semiotic mediation (A.V. Konokotin).

In the “Founders and Followers” section, the authors aim to shed light on lesser-known yet valuable aspects of the history of the field, starting with L.S. Vygotsky’s Petrograd lectures, which opened the doors to major scientific contributions (L. Mecacci). The section also provides a new interpretation of the development of cultural-historical principles in psychotechnics (E.E. Sokolova) and special education (D.V. Lubovsky).

The final section of this issue publishes for the first time, along with scientific commentary, an archival transcript of L.S. Vygotsky’s speech at the 1931 “reactology” debate. This transcript reveals elements of his scientific autobiography and his assessment of the path he had taken in science during his early years at the Institute of Experimental Psychology, including a unique account of how his personal attitude towards K.N. Kornilov’s reactology evolved.