Toward a Typology of Activities: Understanding Internal Contradictions in Multiperspectival Activities

Clay Spinuzzi The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract

Professional writing scholars have often turned to activity theory (AT) as a rich framework for describing and theorizing human activity. But AT-based studies typically emphasize the uniqueness of activities rather than examining how certain types of activities share configurations. Consequently, these analyses often miss the chance to examine activities’ internal contradictions that are a result of interference between different configurations of activity. This article argues that a typology of activities can deepen our understanding of these internal contradictions. Drawing from a range of literature, it describes the general characteristics of different types of activities, providing examples from other AT-based studies. It concludes by discussing how this typology can help such studies to better analyze internal contradictions in activities.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2015-01-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651914548277
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Cited by in this index (4)

  1. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Written Communication

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