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Thanks David, sounds like an interesting development and I'll look out for the event. Mark > Dear Mark, > > For the last two years I have been working as a member of a small steering > group set up by the British Psychological Society College of Fellows to > explore possible contributions which psychology might make to the > 'understanding and management of some of today's major issues in our > society'. I have attempted to contribute to that as a community critical > psychologist. > > In the spring of this year, this group ran a study day on 'Promoting > mental health and well-being in communities: Psychological perspectives', > which received some positive feedback from those attending. As part of > that day Cathy McCormack. Elaine Swift and George Black (community > activists) and I gave an input titled 'Psychology for Transformation: > Understanding the insanity of many people's lived reality from a critical > community psychology perspective. Part of this is Cathy's notion of 'the > war without bullets', the 'briefcase war', being waged in our housing > schemes. Ironically the poorly insulated damp housing which has caused > physical and mental health damage to many tenants and which Cathy has > worked to expose and contest has also been responsible for tenants heating > the skies over Glasgow in an effort to keep well. > > Colleagues in the College of Fellows steering group and I have for some > time now been planning the next venture of which the provisional title is > 'Climate change: what is the role of Psychology? That is planned for > November or December in London. Negotiations are underway with potential > contributors as I write and I can not disclose further details at present. > As a community critical psychologist I am working to get this issue of > climate change onto the agenda of issues addressed by psychologists. > > As for 'the role of community psychology' in relation to climate change, > as a community critical psychologist I have been working to maximise > chances that, in my view problematic, default assumptions of acritical > psychology that the contribution of psychologists to climate change is to > engage in individualistic analysis and intervention regarding motivation > and attitude and behaviour change at the individual level is challenged > effectively in such a study day. > > I have also been working to maximise chances that the claim that the > discipline of psychology, as it is constructed and maintained in > industrialised societies like ours, is an essential element of the > rapacious exploitation of people and natural resources which is the > contemporary manifestation of capitalism i.e. that psychology is part of > the problem of the generation of deleterious climate change. > > I have recently been considering the arguments of Ian Parker (in > 'Revolution in Psychology: Alienation to Emancipation') that community > psychology is no different from the rest of psychology in this respect > i.e. that community psychology is also part of the problematic capitalist > system and thus part of the problem of the generation of global warming. > Certainly I believe that the intellectual colonisation of UK community > psychologies by US CP is profoundly problematic > > So I am with you in trying to ensure global warming is critically > addressed but lack confidence that community psychology currently > constructed can 'help' i.e. is part of the solution and I am more > interested in collective critical reflexivity about the problematic nature > of our own ways of thinking and acting and working as community > psychologists than in assuming we have a solution in community psychology > to offer others grappling with global warming > > David > > ________________________________ > > From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List on behalf of Mark Burton > Sent: Tue 8/21/2007 14:55 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Community psychology and climate change - how can it help? > > > > Community psychology and climate change - how can it help? > > The conclusion is now inescapable that the environment is going critical > on us. According to the most coherent sources we need to look at a > reduction of some 80-90% in greenhouse gas emissions to avert a runaway > warming process that could end human life on earth. Meanwhile governments > are acknowledging the problem, pretending to take action, while doing > precisely nothing that will have any real effect on the problem. > > There are a number of problems to be addressed in mobilising for effective > change:- > * Building a popular movement that keeps the real issues on the > agenda and > builds a dominant consensus for radical action. > * As part of this, communicating effectively on a grand scale about > the > nature of the problem, effective versus ineffective actions and the > benefits to be attained. > * Dealing with enemy(1) propaganda that suggests either that the > problem > isn't real, or that it can be dealt with by minimalist action. > * Demonstrating the positive benefits for people and communities of > an > alternative way of living that lives within ecological limits. > * Finding ways to manage the transition - where there will be > winners and > losers. > > A quick internet search finds little or no engagement of community > psychology with the problem. This may be because attention is elsewhere. > For too long, community psychology has pursued a policy of quietism behind > the attractive slogan, 'think globally, act locally'. It is now time to > use what know how community and social psychology can lay its hands on in > furtherance of this great struggle. > > How? > Community psychologists need to > 1. Get up to speed with the problem (2). > 2. Intervene publicly in relation to each of the tasks above. > 3. Draw on or raid psychology's knowledge base, together with real > world > experience to identify effective and ineffective strategies, particularly > for communication and mobilisation. > 4. Create spaces in which ideas, experience, contacts, information > etc. > can be exchanged. > > In other words, think globally and locally, act locally and globally. > Sorry, it isn't so catchy, but it is far more appropriate to the scale of > the problem and the nature of politics today. > > So here is the bit that you have to write: first of all, where are you > going to engage in the political struggle? Second, what can you lay your > hands on in the cannon of community psychology that will assist in this > giant task? Third, how will you communicate what you are doing? > > Mark Burton > August, 2007 > > 1 No apology for this term - the deniers and the apologists are directly > threatening the livelihoods and lives of people in the majority worlds, > our own lives, and certainly those of our children and grandchildren. We > know who they are - the paid agents of capital, of the oil, motor car and > aviation industries in particular, and the military industrial complex in > general. See for example > http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/05/some_like_it_hot.html > 2 Try George Monbiot, Heat, 2006 for a quick start. > http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780141026626,00.html > > ___________________________________ > COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. > To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML > For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on > [log in to unmask] or Grant Jeffrey on [log in to unmask] > > > > -- > The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by > charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential Information may > be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated > in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such > person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this message to anyone > and any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is > prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you should destroy this > message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise > immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email > for messages of this kind. > > > ___________________________________ > COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. > To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML > For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on > [log in to unmask] or Grant Jeffrey on [log in to unmask] > > > ___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. 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