THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE IN VYGOTSKYS THINKING

It is shown that Vygotsky's concept of culture was codetermined by two fundamental traditions in the human sciences. The first tradition was initiated by Humboldt and exerted a powerful influence on Vygotsky's thinking through the works of Potebnya and Shpet. Vygotsky's thinking about linguistic mediation was to a large extent determined by this tr adition. The second tradition was that of Marxism and progressive thou ght and influenced Vygotsky's thinking about such notions as tool-use and social and cultural progress. The way in which Vygotsky combined t hese different perspectives in his concept of culture is described. It is suggested that this concept of culture was powerful but also limit ed and biased.