A historical perspective: I've been reflecting on my experiences with the
development of a women's section within the BPS in the 1980s/early 1990s.
When I was doing my clinical training in the North West in the late 1980s I
came across a "Women in Psychology" group co-ordinated by another clinical
psychologist. As I remember if the group included women with a range of
experiences with psychology, not only mental health professionals, but also
academics and "service users" (as we never called them back them). We
shared a largely unspoken feminist perspective and a critical stance to the
treatment of women by psychology institutions. I attended one of the first
Women in Psychology conferences and found it an electrifying experience - it
was actually life changing experience to come across ground-breaking
feminist theorising and research for the first time. I learned to say
"epistemology" without stuttering.
After a few years of negotiating, some very hard-working and dedicated women
associated with WIP managed to get the BPS to institute a new section which
was called "Psychology of Women". The change of the preposition was
revealing. The section seemed more focused on the study of women as
"subjects" of psychology. BPS regulations seemed to millitate against the
section taking up an explicitly political or feminist position - it could
never be a women-only space for instance. With energy focused on the BPS
section, WIP sort of faded away.
I am still a member of POW, and I read the newsletter. Most of the papers
show clear links with feminist scholarship, and it is good there is another
forum for this sort of work to be published. However, the section and the
newsletter have a very academic slant. There appears to be little ongoing
self-criticism, reflexivity, debate, mud-slinging, passion, and commitment
to addressing women's oppression within psychology/promoted by psychology,
and section members do not seem prominent in holding anything in the BPS to
account.
That was then, and times have changed. One big difference is electronic
communication media which makes this list possible. Back then the meetings
about the development of the section took place probably in someone's
kitchen, and there was no way for those developing the plans for the section
to engage in ongoing debate with women involved in WIP.
By the way, it often surprises me how the BPS, which I see as basically a
pretty conservative instutition, manages to offer space to radical and
challenging voices (even in this month's psychologist there were some lively
letters about the lack of diversity among clinical psychology trainees).
But then I have to remind myself - "of course, we are psychologists! We are
brilliant about communicating empathy and sympathy and thoughtfulness and
mindfulness in the service of normalising practices!"
I think it is would be great if the CP section emerged as a very different
beast to the other sections in the BPS and the link to the
co-operative/collective would be a way of ensuring that and ensuring really
important voices who have a lot to say about community psychology, but who
would never join the BPS are not drowned out by institutional and
professional interests.
Deborah
----- Original Message -----
From: "miriam hollis" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 10:48 PM
Subject: Re: "Holding BPS Members to account": confrontationsthat cannot be
won?
I support all the points made by Grant.
Thank you for posting them.
Miriam
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urgently please call, or send a text, to 07866733223
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeffrey Grant <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:17:04
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] "Holding BPS Members to account": confrontations
that cannot be won?
Erica writes "Sensible BPS members who are interested in setting up a BPS
Community Psychology Section will want to learn from others working in the
field but they will not be bound by their views collectively or otherwise.".
She is concerned that making the BPS section accountable is starting on a
path to ('possible'!) "confrontation which the Community list could not
win", and goes on to ask that we post on this list what we would like the
BPS section to achieve.
Surely a BPS Community Psychology Section would seek to be 'accountable'?
It seems that CP is at a crossroads and there may be a risk that its agenda
becomes appropriated by the very mechanisms it has effectively helped
critique in the past. I would like to see the BPS CP section become an
antidote to the self-serving nature of professional associations, holding
the BPS itself to account from within, focusing on ethics, critical thinking
and diversity in psychology, and encouraging the BPS to serve communities
before the interests of the elite group of powerful professional people
which, on the whole, it represents.
I dont think the new BPS section will achieve anything substantive unless
its priorities are to
1: actively make ITSELF accountable to the communities it serves, seeking
participation and involvement from as wide a range of stakeholders as is
practical.
2: expose the hidden politics of oppression that underpin a great deal of
psychology, in order to open the political implications of psychology
practice to scrutiny, within the BPS itself and by the wider public.
It is ironic that while many of us are concerned with the way capitalism
seperates and individualises us in order to undermine our social identities
and depower communities, community psychology itself is at risk of
fragmenting along class lines. The key strength of our flawed (but loved :-)
'Community Psychology List' is that (practically) anyone can join and
express their views. I support Paul's (and others) suggestions about forming
a cooperative and would sign up if we can get organised. It is unlikely I
will join the BPS, even with a community pschology section, as I worry the
organisation does more harm than good....but maybe the new section will
change that. I hope so.
A CP Collective need not be frightened of 'political' activity, need not
require all participants to think or want the same things, and can
facilitate pluralism: a focus for community psychology activity that might
be political, philosophical, practical, academic, theoretical, critical
....even 'personal'...and which might be able to critique the workings of
the BPS, and psychology generally, more freely than can be achieved from
within the BPS. Importantly, it could have a rich and mutually
beneficial/supportive relationship with a BPS section that was committed
both to making itself accountable and to a community oriented agenda. That
kind of relationship may be just what is needed to make the BPS section
credible.
Perhaps it is the BPS section that has most to lose, and that ultimately
cannot win, from confrontation. The BPS must seek to be accountable.
Another tuppence worth :-))
Best wishes, Grant
________________________________________
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List
[[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Erica Brostoff
[[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 24 August 2010 09:00
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] "Holding BPS Members to account"
Dear All,
I have sent an e-mail to the Manager of the BPS London office
requesting that he look into overflow facilities into a second room,
as a general issue, and mentioned the Community Psychology meeting on
October 8th, in case there are more people wishing to attend than
could be accommodated at present. And so that in future it might be
possible to have joint meetings with those who are, and those who are
not BPS members. As I mentioned in an earlier post, meetings in the
BPS offices are normally oversubscribed at present and the maximum
accommodation is 80. As it happens, I also live, rather than work,
near the BPS offices, and have requested a ticket, as a BPS member.
However, David's suggestion that "the collective should hold the BPS
membership to account" seems to me unrealistic, either at this
meeting or in future. David is a BPS member of long standing I
believe, and probably is aware that the idea of a collective
alongside a BPS Section is likely to be a novel one. Apparently
2,700 approx. BPS members voted for this Section, and
any major issues regarding the Section are likely to be voted upon by
those who become members of the Community Section, who are also BPS
members.
"A dialogue between BPS members and non-members" is a realistic
option, but to start out thinking that the collective (not yet
formed) can hold the BPS Section to account is starting on a path to
possible confrontation which the Community list could not win. This
would be arising out of style rather than substance, and I do think
that the language in which such a dialogue is proposed is crucial, as
are the expectations. Sensible BPS members who are interested in
setting up a BPS Community Psychology Section will want to learn from
others working in the field but they will not be bound by their views
collectively or otherwise. So, I think it would be sensible for
people to start posting on this list what they would like the BPS
Section to achieve,
so that the meeting on October 8th is a productive one and not
confrontational. These would surely be in the form of
recommendations, keeping in mind that the collective will not "own"
the Section, nor, indeed, the other way around.
For one thing, to come back to fees, which are essential to be set
if anyone is actually to join the Section, I know now that the BPS
Board officials have set a fee which is the average of other
Sections, and I expect that they will be entitled to insist upon
this, in the absence of a vote from ALL the people who wish to join
who are BPS members,. This would not occur until about a year hence
or longer. It would not be proper or normal for non-BPS members to
set the fee for BPS members, if you think about it, in relation to
any other section. I am just as interested in a harmonious outcome
as anyone else, but you might as well start trying to dictate to the
Department of Health, in my view, as assume you can do so to the BPS,
unless you are a member, and then it would be through proposals and
voting of all members and it would be a request or a recommendation
only.
How about proposing some mechanism whereby one non-BPS member could
have an advisory seat on the BPS Committee, by co-option, who would
represent the views of the collective, and see whether the BPS would
accept this idea. In this case it might be a reasonable proposal,
since there might be benefits in both directions.
Erica
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The Community Psychology List has a new website/blog at:
http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/
There is a threaded discussion forum:
http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi
There is a twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/CommPsychUK
To post on the website blog, forum or twitter feed, contact Grant or David
at the email addresses below.
David Fryer ([log in to unmask]) or Grant Jeffrey
([log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe or to change your details on this COMMUNITYPSYCHUK list,
visit the website:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=COMMUNITYPSYCHUK
___________________________________
The Community Psychology List has a new website/blog at:
http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/
There is a threaded discussion forum:
http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi
There is a twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/CommPsychUK
To post on the website blog, forum or twitter feed, contact Grant or David
at the email addresses below.
David Fryer ([log in to unmask]) or Grant Jeffrey
([log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe or to change your details on this COMMUNITYPSYCHUK list,
visit the website:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=COMMUNITYPSYCHUK
___________________________________
The Community Psychology List has a new website/blog at:
http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/
There is a threaded discussion forum:
http://www.communitypsychology.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi
There is a twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/CommPsychUK
To post on the website blog, forum or twitter feed, contact Grant or David at the email addresses below.
David Fryer ([log in to unmask]) or Grant Jeffrey ([log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe or to change your details on this COMMUNITYPSYCHUK list, visit the website:
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