Cultural-historical psychology in BRICS+ countries
The third issue of the open access journal Cultural-Historical Psychology (No. 3–2025) has been published in 2025. The theme of this issue is cultural-historical psychology in the BRICS+ countries (Brazil, Russia, South Africa, India) and countries of the post-Soviet space (Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan).
The publications in this issue reveal the specifics of the dissemination, interpretation, and practical application of the ideas of cultural-historical psychology within the unique cultural, political, and socio-economic contexts of this group of countries.
The issue opens with three articles that sequentially describe the system-forming categories of cultural-historical psychology (Rubtsov, Maydansky), demonstrate the possibilities of constructing educational practices based on these categories (Konokotin A.V., Zaretsky V.K., Ulanovskaya I.M., Rubtsova O.V.), and justify the potential and prospects of cultural-historical psychology as a practice-oriented science (Isaev E.I., Kosaretsky S.G.).
The main body of articles in this issue presents a wide range of cases of using cultural-historical psychology in educational practices, psychological assistance, and social activities. Publications by scholars from Brazil, South Africa, and India demonstrate the value-driven, transformative, and critical agenda of cultural-historical psychology.
In the article by Liberali F.С., Lemos M., and Modesto-Sarra L.K. (Brazil), the Brincadas-COLINA project, which brought together children, educators, and families from quilombola communities, indigenous peoples, and urban peripheries into a collaborative practice, serves as a vivid example of an educational initiative that uses the ideas of cultural-historical psychology as a tool to achieve social and epistemic justice. This is especially relevant for BRICS+ countries facing growing inequality in education.
Muthivhi A. (South Africa) finds support in Vygotsky’s ideas for a decolonial approach in epistemology and pedagogy, which justifies the legitimacy of indigenous knowledge and culturally conditioned social practices, and opens up opportunities for students and teachers to exercise agency aimed at social transformation, self-realization, and identity development.
Tanzi Neto A., Dieges U.C.C., and Magalhães M.C.C. (Brazil) demonstrate how a teacher training program for foreign languages in Brazil, based on social activity and cultural-historical principles, contributes to the development of culturally sensitive and socially transformative pedagogical practice.
Sandeep Kumar (India), in his article, examines the risks of transforming childhood in the context of globalization and digitalization through the lens of a social-constructivist approach. Other authors from India (Chander S., Arora C.), drawing on the idea of the zone of proximal development, conceptualize digital tools as potential mediators between students’ abilities and the demands of the curriculum.
The place of BRICS in the landscape of cultural-historical psychology worldwide and the specifics of research in relation to global trends are revealed in the first bibliometric analysis in the history of cultural-historical psychology (Shvedovskaya A.A., Ponomareva V.V., Korneev A.A.). The 40-year journey and the current network of dissemination of L.S. Vygotsky’s legacy in Brazil are highlighted in the article by Zoia Prestes, Elizabeth Tunes, and Mateus Thaler Beck.
The articles by Joanne Hardman, Sinitsa T.I., and Bagdasarova N.A. convincingly demonstrate the diversity of ways in which ideas of cultural-historical theory are used to organize inclusive education. Polyakov A.M. offers an original approach to their application in providing psychological assistance to children and adolescents.
Further information
- Full issue of the journal
- PsyJournals podcasts of authors discussing their publications