Vygotsky, sociocultural concepts and drama in and for education : [Introduction]

While drama and performance practices have existed within cultures since ancient times, the inclusion of drama within school and other educational programs, and the study of drama and theatre within the academy, are much more recent pursuits. The scholarly legacies that are drawn upon can be trans-disciplinary in their nature, although they predominantly come from philosophical and humanistic traditions, with a focus on frameworks and explanations that shed light on how humans interact, think, create, communicate, and learn – all key concerns for the revolutionary scholar and thinker Lev Vygtosky. This chapter introduces key Vygotskian concepts and post-Vygotskian methodologies being applied in various drama and education contexts. Specific research projects are introduced as innovative research paradigms for analyzing and understanding collective creative practice, change and meaning making.