Call for Papers – ISCAR 2026 Central Europe
Call for Papers – ISCAR 2026 Central Europe
Development, acceleration and alienation.
Cultural-historical Activity Research on Temporality and Intersubjectivity
October 1-2, 2026 – Humboldt University of Berlin
Development is movement and therefore takes time. It unfolds both individually and socially, at different speeds and against different temporal horizons. Lev S. Vygotsky's theory of development and his concept of the zone of proximal development emphasize the importance of intersubjectivity, learning and education as a “motor” for human development. Cultural and social developments – from the early forms of shared affects, through the emergence of spoken language and written symbols, to networked communication with digital media and AI – contribute to the acceleration of the activity systems in which we think, feel and act.
At the same time, as sociologist Hartmut Rosa has pointed out, modern subjects increasingly experience the growing acceleration of social life driven by new technologies, the economy, and social change as forms of alienation and isolation. If, however, human development is to succeed as a prerequisite for a good life, it requires experiences of intersubjectivity as meaningful spaces of resonance. In view of a highly automated social world in which countless interactions take place simultaneously, communication and decisions are optimized by algorithms, and everyone and everything appears constantly accessible and available, several questions arise: How much acceleration can development tolerate? What is the current relationship between individual and social development processes? How can the counterforces of deceleration and resonance be strengthened?
Against this background, the conference will examine the relationship between temporality and intersubjectivity. Possible topics and questions regarding current research on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), include:
- Temporality and intersubjectivity in individual and social development
- Development of and through social participation
- Development and intersubjectivity in cultural-historical contexts
- Learning and development in accelerated activity systems
- Development under alienated and alienating conditions
- CHAT perspectives on social acceleration and alienation
- The significance of AI for cognitive and emotional development
This conference is primarily intended to promote exchange between researchers in Central Europe whose work and publications deal with the approach of cultural-historical and activity-theoretical research. However, interested people and colleagues with other research interests and from other regions are also welcome! The first question when submitting contributions should therefore be: What would you like to discuss with your audience?
More information
Full call for papers: PDF download
Conference website at: https://hi.converia.de/frontend/index.php?sub=142