ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces Sociocultural Psychology, the theoretical and epistemological approach used in this book, also known under the name of Cultural Psychology. First, it presents the main axioms of this perspective: 1) the interdependence between person and culture; 2) intersubjectivity as constitutive of the self; and 3) the self as a developing agent. Second, it proposes a summary of the complex history of this field, through the works of Vico, Wundt, Vygotsky, and Bruner. Third, the three main theoretical perspectives that compose sociocultural psychology are introduced: The semiotic, dialogical, and mediated activity perspectives. Finally, after discussing the epistemological and methodological implications of this approach, this chapter argues for the importance of adopting a pragmatic sociocultural perspective, that considers that ideas can be evaluated through their pragmatic outcomes and therefore that they are not only subjective social constructions.
