Society

A new paper by IOE’s Pavel Sorokin revisits one of the most ambitious ideas in modern psychology: the attempt—championed by Estonian psychologist Aaro Toomela—to rebuild cultural psychology as a unified science of the human mind and its environment. In Cultural Psychology for a Technologically Transformed Society: A Neo-Structuration Perspective, Sorokin argues that this project arrives at exactly the right moment. Our world is no longer shaped only by institutions, traditions, and language—but increasingly by digital systems and artificial intelligence that produce culture alongside humans. In this rapidly shifting landscape, understanding how the human psyche interacts with culture is no longer just an academic question. It may be essential for navigating the future.

During the 2018 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum held last week, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between HSE, the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (MGSU), and Prosveshcheniye Education Holding. As part of the agreement, the two national research universities and Russia’s largest vendor of teaching and learning aids will jointly develop best-practice design and infrastructural solutions for school premises.