Re-creating spaces in times of social isolation: Unveiling Hybrid Agents and Contexts for socio-educational transformation

Hybrid psychological agents and transformative hybrid contexts offer new ways to bridge cultural divides, foster inclusion, and drive social change.

Dr. Beatriz Macías-Gómez-Estern from Universidad Pablo de Olavide investigates hybrid learning spaces where diverse cultural, social, and institutional worlds connect. From service-learning projects with Roma communities to community music initiatives, her work highlights the transformative potential of collaboration, co-construction, and empathy in education and beyond.

Read the original research:

doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87406-3_2

doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-60583-3_13

Transcript

Hello and welcome to ResearchPod, thank you for listening and joining us today.

In this episode, we look at the work of Dr. Beatriz Macías-Gómez-Estern, whose work bridges critical and cultural psychology with community-based educational interventions by offering a fresh perspective on human development, learning, and social change. These concepts are known as "Hybrid Psychological Agent" and "Transformative Hybrid Contexts of Activity”, which means navigating and bridging diverse cultural and institutional worlds to create spaces of shared understanding and transformation.

So, what exactly is a Hybrid Psychological Agent? The short answer is, it’s a concept rooted in cultural-historical psychology, with a strong emphasis on praxis—that is, the practice of putting theory into action. Hybrid Psychological Agents are individuals who navigate, translate, and integrate multiple cultural, social, and institutional worlds. They’re not just adapting to these worlds; they’re actively transforming them.

But, the transformational potential is not only applicable to specific subjects, but also to "Transformative Hybrid Contexts of Activity." Imagine a setting where different social, cultural, and educational logics coexist and interact—like a multicultural classroom, a community music project, or a service-learning program where university students and underserved communities come together. Instead of one dominant perspective controlling the scene, hybrid contexts allow for negotiation, co-construction, and the creation of new, shared goals, meanings, and practices.

A key feature of these hybrid agents is their capacity to navigate and translate across multiple worldviews, cultural logics, and institutional frameworks. Hybrid agents therefore act as "bridges" between these worlds, facilitating the transfer and re-interpretation of meanings. This role of "translation" goes beyond language; it includes adapting motives, roles, and tools, making them intelligible and meaningful across diverse perspectives. This capacity is especially crucial in today’s world, where polarisation and social fragmentation are on the rise.

Another essential aspect of hybrid contexts is the need for face-to-face interaction and the development of emotional connections between participants. This type of human connection creates an environment where mutual trust, empathy, and deeper learning can flourish. The emphasis on emotional and interpersonal bonds distinguishes hybrid contexts from more transactional or purely online interactions, especially in a world where digital communication is often associated with isolation and detachment.

This approach challenges the more traditional idea of "objective" knowledge as being separate from cultural context. Instead, it’s about recognising that learning, human development and social transformation happen at the intersection of diverse worldviews, motives, and practices. The ideas draw heavily from Vygotsky’s theories of mediated action and the inseparability of mind and culture, Engeström’s activity theory – which emphasizes the role of tools, collective activities, and contradictions as drivers of transformation and learning – and the notion of "third spaces" proposed by Kris Gutiérrez, which highlights the value of participants from diverse cultural and social backgrounds coming together to co-create new knowledge and practices,

In order to understand where these ideas come from, we need to first look at the journey of Dr. Macías-Gómez-Estern’s research and her colleagues at Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain. Together, their work concerns real-world educational and social intervention projects. More importantly, this is not just abstract theorising—it’s theory that’s tested, adapted, and shaped by hands-on experience. In fact, the development of these concepts is the result of a metanalytic reflection – the process of synthesizing and critically analyzing a body of work, often from diverse studies or projects, to identify overarching patterns – on years of collaborative research in educational and community-based projects.

Their experience includes service-learning projects with Roma communities in Southern Spain as part of the UCLinks network, a global network of university-community partnerships inspired by the "Fifth Dimension" model developed at UC San Diego. These projects provide university students with opportunities to engage directly with underserved communities, fostering hybrid learning spaces where both students, researchers, teachers, children, and community members co-create knowledge.

A powerful example of this dynamic is seen in the story of Marta, a psychology student from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, who joined one of these service-learning projects. Initially working as a volunteer with Roma children, Marta gradually took on a more significant role in the project—eventually co-designing activities, negotiating with families, and mediating cultural exchanges. Her experience prompted her to rethink her own identity as a "university student" and, over time, she became a key actor within the community, facilitating conversation between the community and institutional Social Services. This illustrates how hybrid psychological agents do not simply "learn" in these contexts—they are transformed and transform those around them.

Another striking case is Manuel, a young man from an economically disadvantaged community in Seville who, after participating in one of these collaborative projects, transitioned from being a community participant to becoming a community leader. His journey reflects the potential for hybrid contexts to foster agency and leadership, as well as identity transformation through engagement in shared activity.

But, you might ask, why is this so important? The answer is that hybrid psychological agents and hybrid contexts have profound implications for education, social justice, and even mental health. By bridging divides between cultural worlds, they open up new possibilities for transformation.

One clear example is in inclusive education. Traditional education often forces minority students to conform to "mainstream" norms, which can lead to feelings of exclusion and marginalisation. In hybrid contexts, however, students’ unique cultural knowledge is seen as an asset, rather than a problem. Teachers, students, and families work together to create spaces where diverse cultural practices are valued as legitimate learning resources.

This results in lower absenteeism, higher student engagement, and better academic outcomes. But it’s not just the students who change. Teachers and university students also experience transformation as they learn to see from new perspectives. Research has shown the socio-ecological resilience to confront crisis – such as the COVID-19 pandemic – was better contained when these bidirectional transformative processes are enhanced.

Let’s now take this idea a step further. If hybrid contexts can be transformative in education, what other areas of life could they have an impact? One exciting direction in Dr. Macías-Gómez-Estern’s research is the role of community music.

She’s currently leading two community music projects—one with Roma communities in Seville, Spain, and another with Latin American migrant communities in Miami, USA. These projects aim to see how collective participation in popular and urban music can affect social inclusion, identity, and community health.

But why music? Music is a powerful mediator of emotions, identities, and community bonds. It’s universal, but it’s also deeply personal and cultural. By creating music together, people from different backgrounds experience shared joy, empathy, and understanding.

As we’ve seen, hybrid psychological agents and hybrid contexts of activity offer a powerful framework for thinking about education, social justice, and human development. By blending cultural logics, integrating diverse voices, and fostering dialogue, these concepts push back against polarization and exclusion.

What’s most exciting is that this isn’t just theory. It’s already being put into practice in schools, universities, and community projects. It’s shaping how we think about inclusive education, social justice, and even how music can be a tool for change.

So, as you think about your own community, your school, or your workplace, consider this: How could you create a hybrid context where multiple perspectives are welcome and where everyone’s experience is valued? How could you become a hybrid psychological agent in your own life?

In the words of Dr. Beatriz Macías-Gómez-Estern:: “Hybrid agents and contexts are not just theoretical constructs; they are bridges that facilitate empathetic connection and the transmission of knowledge across cultural groups, creating possibilities for transformation in an increasingly polarized world.”

That’s all for this episode, thanks for listening. Links to the original research can be found in the shownotes for this episode. And don’t forget to stay subscribed to ResearchPod for more of the latest science!

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