My Delinquent Voice: Screaming, but so What?

Jaan Valsiner is one of the most well-known and well-respected cultural psychologists of our day. We invited him to provide a synthetic commentary on the collection of texts found in this book, and we were delighted when he accepted our invitation. We were also a bit surprised when he stated that, in the light of the powerful nature of the book’s contemporary themes, he could not write a “traditional” or “conventional” commentary. The issues, he said, are too serious for distanced “scholarly” scrutiny, and they call for a new Einfühlung that only a semi-literary look can afford. We are proud to present the reader with this small token of just such a personal voice. Keeping with the spirit of the book, the piece is both challenging and rewarding. It presents many of our current educational hurdles in a manner that is intentionally emotionally and intellectually unsettling, while simultaneously encouraging of greater emotional and intellectual reach. The scenes it calls forth can be disquieting or beautiful in turn, and they leave an impression that not only lasts but that also demands deep, meaningful, and repeated reflection. And the latter is the collective intention in the whole book.