James V. Wertsch, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Washington University, St Louis. He holds joint appointments in Education, the Russian Studies Program, and the Program in Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology. He is the director of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy. His topics of study are collective memory and identity, especially in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, as well as in the United States.

Volume 10, Number 3, 2003 Contents: J.V. Wertsch, Introduction: Ragnar Rommetveit: His Work and Influence. ARTICLES: B.E. Hagtvet, A.H. Wold, On the Dialogical Basis of Meaning: Inquiries Into Ragnar Rommetveit's Writings on Language, Thought, and Communication. R. Rommetveit, On the Role of A Psychology of the Second Person in Studies of Meaning, Language, and Mind. P. Linell, Dialogical Tensions: On Rommetveitian Themes of Minds, Meanings, Monologues, and Languages. E.F. Mortimer, J.V. Wertsch, The Architecture and Dynamics of Intersubjectivity in Science Classrooms. J.A. Seitz, A Communitarian Approach to Creativity. BOOK REVIEWS: K.H. Cortes, Agency or Reproduction. D.J. Cunningham, A Stroll Through the World of Infant Professional Development With an Old Friend. B. Kirshner, Reflecting on Moral Development and Education. M. Knoester, Education According to Chomsky. T. Koschmann, Two Raisins in the Cake of Educational Research.

This special issue of Mind, Culture, and Activity revisits Rommetveit's ideas in admiration for his quest to understand meaning, language, and mind. It also reflects the inspiration he has provided for those struggling with these issues. Written by those studying Rommetveit and one by Rommetveit himself, all three articles are attempts to spell out, extend, and apply ideas that Rommetveit outlined in his writings at some point early in his career. Rommetveit, however has moved ahead in his struggle to understand the ethical dimensions of communication--including the communication involved in the study of communication--which represents his newest project.