Abstract

Examines the nature and uses of metatheory. Current needs for metatheoretical understanding are discussed in the context of increased skepticism about grand narratives. A focus on the lived meanings of existing metatheory and meta discourse points to the importance of cultural psychology in addressing some of the conceptual, methodological, and axiological problems being faced. It is proposed that cultural psychology can illuminate the semantic sources and pragmatics of academic discourse in the social sciences and facilitate a reflexive understanding of ways of being and knowing. 2012 APA, all rights reserved)