History and Philosophy of Psychology Section

By Alan Collins (Chair, History and Philosophy of Psychology Section)

For the History and Philosophy Section the main event of the year was its successful Annual Conference, held for the first time at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. The conference was the best attended for many years and it was rewarding to see so many new faces, particularly postgraduates and those early in their careers, attending and stirring the pot of academic debate. The event also attracted participants from Canada, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, and USA. The major achievement in 2006-07 was attracting new participants to the conference and persuading three of them to join the Section Committee, something that should strengthen the connection between the Section and the expanding field of critical psychology. The Section and its conference also continues to offer a forum for those who consider history and philosophy their secondary rather than primary research interests. Maintaining a well-attended and vibrant conference is crucial and the committee members are to be thanked for their efforts towards achieving this aim.

The Annual Conference and the Section’s publication, History and Philosophy of Psychology (now going into its tenth volume), continue to be the main activities of the section. Our keynote speaker at the conference, Professor John Shotter, was challenging, enthusiastic and engaging. Using a neglected part of Wittgenstein’s philosophy, Shotter urged us to take seriously the Wittgensteinian argument that ordinary talk and action are pregnant with possibilities for new beginnings: what may be mundane, unthinking and spontaneous can, through talk and joint action, be made into something new, something memorable, and something intellectual. Despite the setting - an oak-panelled room in an august university - Professor Shotter emphasised the practical implications of these ideas for those such as doctors, managers, therapists, and he described how they can create a place for the practical philosopher alongside the practitioner. For those wishing to see the argument in more detail, there is the published version in the section’s History and Philosophy of Psychology (2007, Volume 9 (1). This volume and its successor contain other articles based on papers from the conference such as Toni Brennan and Peter Hegarty on Magnus Hirschfeld, John Hall on the emergence of clinical psychology in Britain, Peter Lamont on discourse analysis as a method in history of psychology, and Flavio Ceglie from the University of Bari on early studies of synaesthesia. The Section’s improved website also gives details of previous volumes in a series that began in 1999 and the contents show just how varied and stimulating the contributions to this publication have been. Without doubt, the success of the Section’s publication owes a great deal to the unstinting work of Professor Elizabeth Valentine.

In an attempt to move away from total reliance on formal presentations, the conference also included a discussion panel to consider what many regard as a landmark new book on the history of psychology in Britain: Psychological Subjects by Mathew Thomson. Dr Thomson was kind enough to attend the conference and join the debate. The format was sufficiently successful that we hope to hold a similar discussion of a key new text at this year’s conference. In 2008 we are hoping that Professor Mick Billig’s new book will be the centre of attention. We are also keen to encourage other ‘non-standard’ styles of presentation.

In consultation with the editor of The Psychologist, section member Julie Perks of Staffordshire University has assembled a number of articles on the history of psychology that are to form part of what it is hoped will become a regular feature on history in that publication. Although word limits restrict the kind of historical argument that can be presented, it is hoped that this feature will not only inform readers but encourage some to pursue history as an area of enquiry.

Elsewhere the Section has continued to be involved in the evolution of the Society’s History of Psychology Centre (HOPC). Following the retirement of Graham Richards, HOPC’s first director and someone who did a very great deal to get the project up and running, the Centre went through a period of uncertainty. However, following a considerable amount of work, particularly by Peter Dillon-Hooper (Project Manager, HOPC), a new structure has been created for HOPC with the physical archive being distributed across different locations (but particularly the Wellcome Library and the Society's offices in Tabernacle Street). The only formal connection between the Section and HOPC lies in the make-up of the HOPC committee, which includes at least one member of the Section, but of course there are important mutual interests. It is vital for the future of history of psychology as a field of inquiry that what archive we have is preserved and expanded through the activities of HOPC. The HOPC website gives details of events, activities and archival information. One project, which is ongoing and of great importance, is the oral history project; volunteer interviewers and suggestions for interviewees are welcomed and can be made to Mike Maskill and HOPC (e-mail: hopc@bps.org.uk).