Language, culture and social interaction : an introduction

In the 20th century, a theoretical insight surfaced and gradually prevailed as an agreed upon framework to (re)thinking children’s socialization and socio- cognitive development: language and interaction are the main tools through which cultures, social organization, moral orders as well as individuals’ identities are constituted on everyday bases. Philosophical arguments, anthropological systematic observations, psycho- and socio-linguistic empirical studies and some strands in developmental psychology converged toward a dialogical turn and set the premises for studying the constitutive role of language and social interaction in children becoming culturally competent members of their communities. This introductory essay reconstructs the landscape of theories and research that paved the way for contemporary sensitivity to children’s socio-cultural and cognitive development as a complex, multifaceted and radically dialogical phenomenon.