Activity U (VII): The Chain of Activity and Life as Temporal Activity Chains

The concept of “Chain” is not made explicit in Activity Theory, however, it is a common form of human activity and social practice. This article focuses on this topic and related ideas. Based on Temporal Activity Chains, I also developed a new framework called Life as Activity.

Source: Wikipedia

This article is part of a case study: Activity U. I apply the HERO U framework and Diagram U to discuss the development of a large knowledge enterprise: Activity Theory or (Cultural-historical activity theory, CHAT).

• Activity U (I): The Landscape of Activity Theory
• Activity U (II): Unit of Analysis, Niches of Analysis, Levels of Analysis
• Activity U (III): Bonnie Nardi’s Choices and Boundary Knowledge Work
• Activity U (IV): The Engeström’s Triangle and the Power of Diagram
• Activity U (V): Typology of Activities and Other Practical Tools
• Activity U (VI): The Hierarchy of Human Activity and Social Practice

There are two major conceptual models for understanding the structure of activity in CHAT (Cultural-historical activity theory), the first is A. N. Leontiev’s Hierarchy of activity, and the second is Yrjö Engeström’s “Activity System” (the Engeström’s Triangle).