In accordance with its title, this book explores the origin and possible future of cultural psychology - a discipline that studies the role of culture in a person's mental life. I'll start with a seeming contradiction. On the one hand, it is widely believed that the need and ability to live in a cultural environment is one of the central characteristics of a person. On the other hand, many academic psychologists find it difficult to recognize culture as a greater than secondary, often superficial role in shaping our mental life.