Cultural-Historical Research for Social Transformation: Monash Symposium, Italy

Designed to promote transformative societal change through deep engagement with theory and methodology, the Monash Education Prato Spring Symposium (MEPSS) is focused on social equity and steeped in the work of Lev Vygotsky.

• 14 - 16 April 2025, Monash Prato Centre, Italy
  

Participants will gain a high-level understanding of the theoretical and methodological foundations of the cultural-historical theory and the activity theory approach, with a view to enhancing their capacities to think carefully and act responsibly on some of the crucial societal challenges in the contemporary world.

MPSS this year would offer insights into research that have used co-production or co-development as a core idea while working with participants in creating new transformative practices. The capacity to work with others and expand the object being worked on would be one of the key foci of theoretical discussion and practice development.

The interactions in the symposium will provide participants an opportunity to:

• develop a high-level understanding of the theoretical and methodological foundations of the cultural-historical theory and activity theory approach
• interact with and learn from world leading experts in cultural-historical and activity theory
• understand key aspects of co-production in formative interventions that address democratic societal transformation
• engage with scholars in Cultural-historical research on their curiosities and musings
• hear stories of working with/on vexed social problems and using Vygotskian tools to create new transformative practices

Imagination, purpose and will are not just three clearly remarkable aspects of human labour activities but also of human mental functions. The symposium will offer an opportunity to engage with these ideas in more details and their implications on developing a theory that could lead social transformation.

More information: https://www.monash.edu/education/mepss