Revista Colombiana de Psicología ISSN: 0121-5469 [email protected] Universidad Nacional de Colombia Colombia Packer, Martin J.; Tibaduiza Sierra, Silvia A Concrete Psychological Investigation of Ifá Divination Revista Colombiana de Psicología, vol. 21, núm. 2, julio-diciembre, 2012, pp. 353-369 Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá, Colombia Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=80425037001 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative A Concrete Psychological Investigation of Ifá Divination Una Investigación Psicológica Concreta de la Adivinación de Ifá Uma pesquisa psicológica concreta da adivinhação de Ifá Published in 2012 in the Revista Colombiana de Psicología, Vol. 21 (2). Note: This version represents the preprint ver- sion. It differs from the published version in Martin J. Packer formatting, pagination, and small grammati- Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia cal, stylistic, etc. corrections. This material is and Duquesne University, Pittsburgh intended for purposes of education, research, scholarly communication, or critical commen- tary, all in conformity with “fair use” and the Silvia Tibaduiza Sierra established practice of authors’ providing sin- gle preprints and offprints for noncommercial Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia use. Any other use is unauthorized and may violate copyright. Abstract Resumen Resumo Divination – the consultation of an oracle in or- La adivinación —consulta de un oráculo con el A adivinhação – consulta de um oráculo com der to determine a course for future action – has fin de determinar acciones futuras— se ha consi- o fim de determinar ações futuras – tem sido long been considered a practice characteristic of derado una práctica característica de la “menta- considerada uma prática característica da “men- “primitive mentality.” We describe research with lidad primitiva”. A continuación se presenta una talidade primitiva”. A continuação, apresenta-se the babalawo of Santería, who are expert in the investigación con los babalawos de la santería: uma pesquisa com os babalawos da santería: divinatory system of Ifá. Our first goal is to offer los expertos en el sistema de adivinación de Ifá. os especialistas no sistema de adivinhação de an example of what Vygotsky called “concrete El primer objetivo fue dar un ejemplo de lo que Ifá. O primeiro objetivo foi dar um exemplo do psychology”: the study of particular systems of Vygotsky llamó “psicología concreta”: el estudio que Vygotsky chamou “psicologia concreta”: o psychological functions in the concrete circum- de sistemas de funciones psicológicas particu- estudo de sistemas de funções psicológicas par- stances of specific professional complexes. Our lares dentro de las circunstancias concretas de ticulares dentro das circunstâncias concretas de second goal is to explore the character of divi- complejos profesionales específicos. El segundo complexos profissionais específicos. O segundo nation as psychological and social process, gi- objetivo fue explorar la adivinación como pro- objetivo foi explorar a adivinhação como proces- ven the somewhat negative views of divination ceso psicológico y social, examinando las no- so psicológico e social, examinando as noções, expressed by many social scientists, including ciones, un tanto negativas, que han expresado um tanto negativas, que têm expressado alguns Lévy-Bruhl and Vygotsky himself. Analysis of a algunos científicos sociales sobre este concepto, científicos sociais sobre esse conceito, incluin- recorded consultation identified features charac- incluyendo a Lévy-Bruhl y al mismo Vygotsky. do Lévy-Bruhl e o próprio Vygotsky. Alguns teristic of institutional discourse. We argue that Algunos rasgos característicos del discurso ins- traços característicos do discurso institucional the institutional facts of divination may constitu- titucional se identificaron a través del análisis se identificaram por meio da análise de registros te an unfamiliar ontology, but the epistemology de registros de audio de consultas al oráculo de áudio de consultas ao oráculo por parte dos – the appeal to logic and to empirical evidence por parte de los autores. En este trabajo se argu- autores. Neste trabalho, argumentou-se que os – is a familiar one. mentó que los aspectos institucionales de la adi- aspectos institucionais da adivinhação podem vinación pueden constituir una ontología poco constituir uma ontologia pouco comum, mas común, pero una epistemología familiar. uma epistemologia familiar. Keywords: higher psychological functions; Lev Palabras clave: funciones psicológicas superio- Palavras-chave: funções psicológicas superio- Vygotsky; divination; concrete psychology; res, Lev Vygotsky, adivinación, psicología con- res, Lev Vygotsky, adivinhação, psicologia con- argumentation creta, argumentación. creta, argumentação. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Martin J. Packer, e-mail: [email protected]. Department of Psychology, Univer- sidad de los Andes. ARTÍCULO DE REFLEXIÓN RECIBIDO: 2 de febrero de 2012 - ACEPTADO: 20 de agosto de 2012 REVISTA COLOMBIANA DE PSICOLOGÍA VOL. 21 N.º 2 JULIO-DICIEMBRE 2012 ISSN 0121-5469 BOGOTÁ COLOMBIA PP. 353-369 354 MARTIN J. PACKER & SILVIA TIBADUIZA SIERRA “My history of cultural develop- spheres of social life.” The task, then, would ment is an abstract treatment of concre- be to study how the professional complex of a te psychology.” (Vygotsky, 1986, p. 68) Moscow worker is structured, for example. Vy- gotsky (1986) proposed that such investigation The writing of Lev Vygotsky has be- would explore “the different spheres of behavior come increasing influential in many countries (professional complex, etc.), the structure and around the world. It is now well-known that Vy- the hierarchy of functions where they relate to gotsky proposed a revolutionary psychology that and clash with one another” (p. 70). Evidently would overcome dualism, in the study of con- this would be the study of specific individuals in sciousness as a material process. He viewed con- their particular practices, but in his short notes sciousness as our relationship to the world, and Vygotsky merely sketched the outline of a con- argued that the various psychological functions crete psychology. It is necessary to fill in many work together as a dynamic system. He insisted of the details. that this system ought to be studied as a whole, In this article we will describe our own ef- rather than divided into separate components forts to study personality in this sense of a fluid as is typically done in psychological research. configuration of higher psychological functions Psychology should study the “real personality” in a social environment. We will describe our as a unity, rather than traits or characteristics, empirical exploration of the “living, specific psy- a unity always located in what Vygotsky called chology” (Bozhovich, 2009, p. 37) of a particular “the social situation of development.” professional complex – that of a babalawo, the What is less well-known is that in his note- priest of Ifá divination in the syncretic religion books, unpublished until recently, Vygotsky an- of Santería. We have two goals. The first is to ticipated a “concrete psychology” which would clarify the character of a concrete psychology, move beyond the abstract conceptualization of and to contribute to the various lines of work human psychological functioning to undertake that in recent years have taken psychology into detailed investigations of specific ways of be- the “wild” (cf. Cole, 1995; Hutchins, 1995; Lave, ing human (Vygotsky, 1986). He complained, 1991). The second is to explore the nature of or confessed, to himself that his psychology re- the verbal reasoning that occurs in divination, mained abstract in its treatment. One might say, given the somewhat negative views expressed though he didn’t use these words himself, that by Vygotsky himself on this relationship, and his psychology was still at a phase of develop- the equally negative views of other social sci- ment where it simply described the generic entists. We shall describe the practice of divina- person. He wrote that “My history of cultural tion in the context of a session of consultation. development is an abstract treatment of concrete Our analysis of this consultation demonstrates psychology” (Vygotsky, 1986, p. 68). In a con- features characteristic of institutional discourse, crete psychology, in contrast, the holistic model frequent reported speech, and “reading” of the of personality would be related to the real life of client, with assertions and questions that pre- specific persons, or specific kinds of person, in sume prior knowledge. Much of the interaction specific circumstances. Vygotsky proposed that is oriented to predictions, prophesies, and the considered concretelyPRE-PRINT the higher psychological giving of advice, and the latter takes the form of functions can continually “change their role,” so what we argue is reasoned argument, with clear- that “there is no permanent hierarchy” among ly stated claims, warrants and grounding. them but rather “a sphere of possible roles” that We have argued elsewhere that there are par- each function can play, varying in “different allels between Vygotsky’s project and Foucault’s DEPARTAMENTO