Symposium 3. Internationalizing the History of Psychology

Symposium Abstract

One of the more interesting developments in psychology in recent years is the rise of the international psychology movement. Originating in the United States, as many developments in psychology do, it began when a handful of American psychologists started to criticize the insular outlook of their colleagues. They successfully petitioned for a new Division of International Psychology within the American Psychological Association and there is now a burgeoning literature in the field.

These developments have begun to make their influence felt on the history of psychology and work has started to appear on the history of psychology in parts of the world, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia, which have traditionally been neglected. The change is significant because of the dialectical relationship between the present and the past. If our view of the history of psychology extends no further than North America and Western Europe, we are likely to have a similar view of contemporary psychology. On the other hand, a more international view of psychology’s past can lead to a more international view of psychology’s present.

Research of this kind can do more than fill in the gaps in our knowledge of the history of psychology. An examination of psychology in less traditional contexts can help to increase our understanding of the discipline. For example, the rise of the ‘indigenization’ movement in Latin America, Asia and Africa in recent years can help to make us aware of the cultural limitations of psychology as it currently exists.

This symposium will continue the process of internationalizing the history of psychology by looking at the subject in countries such as China, Russia, and the Arab world. Some of the papers will discuss this process in relation to the pedagogy of the field. Adrian C. Brock will argue that history of psychology courses need to be taught by specialists who are familiar with recent research and have a broader understanding of historical methods and approaches as these are applied to the development of the field around the world. Geoffrey Blowers traces the culturally and politically complex development of teaching psychology in China especially during the 1930s and its legacy in more recent years. Natalya A. Loginova outlines the rise of the Saint Petersburg Psychological School throughout a major part of the 20th century. Uwe P. Gielen and Ramadan Ahmed review some recent developments and trends in Arab psychology and ask how Arab psychology can have a greater impact in the realm of global psychology.

Individual Paper Abstracts

TWO MODELS FOR THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
Adrian C. Brock, University College Dublin, Ireland

TEACHING PSYCHOLOGY IN CHINESE CONTEXTS: SOME HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
Geoffrey H. Blowers, University of Hong Kong

THE ORIGINS AND MAIN FEATURES OF THE SAINT PETERSBURG PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL
Natalya A. Loginova, St. Petersburg University, Russia

ARAB PSYCHOLOGY IN GLOBAL CONTEXT
Uwe P. Gielen & Ramadan A. Ahmed St. Francis College, New York & University of Kuwait