[Commpsych] (no subject)

Fri Jun 22 07:35:37 WST 2007

Dear David (and Dawn) and all,

A critical perspective is one of the tools of our trade, or should be.
However, within a critical context, we can understand some problematic
elements and attempts. 

One critical element I always find fascinating is semiotics, as we know,
about symbols, communication and construction of meaning. How the
communication is constructed, what it is intended to convey, and what
the receivers perceive are aspects of the chain that may be broken.

Earlier there was some discussion on SCRA-L about critical approaches
and personalisation. How and where a critique is framed, and even by
whom, carries so much meaning. Placing the critical approach without the
context seems to remove the intended meaning from the communicator. 

Another problem is the one I was taught way back in second year
psychology. The logical fallacy ad hominem, Dawn. 

However, let us return to the original case. An email is circulated to
celebrate an Australian student's award of a thesis prize (and a thesis
is not usually at the standard for which the Robyn Winkler Award is
made). David responded, addressing the email to the recipient, and made
a number of comments. Perhaps this is the paragraph that we can contest
whether the conveying of meaning is critical theory or perhaps
mis-spoken:

I am reluctant to leave unchallenged the positioning of your work to
support an implication that US CP has any legitimacy at all in setting
criteria of excellence in community psychology against which community
psychology around the world in general or Australia in particular should
be judged. In my view community psychologists around the world need to
resist having their work compared against a US CP measuring stick.

To me, this is an attack not on US hegemony, it is an attack on a
student receiving an award. Condemned as a fellow traveller. It is also
contains a couple of variations of argumentum ad hominem.

David and I have discussed on a number of occasions the issues of
problems of US domination in CP, and psychology more generally. We have
agreed that there is the need for finding ways in which this domination
can be challenged and alternatives developed in order for local and more
appropriate models to be implemented.

However, we differ in the tactics, in the levels of engagement, and on
the aspects of what is to be done at the local level. For many of us in
Australia working in community psychology education programs, the
necessity of international engagement is an imperative. The necessity to
demonstrate to those who make decisions that this is a discipline that
is vital, active and has recognition beyond our borders is an
imperative. Otherwise, our programs are likely no to be in existence for
too much longer.

Adrian

Adrian Fisher PhD 
Associate Professor 
School of Psychology 
Victoria University -- Footscray Park 
PO Box 14428 
Melbourne VIC 8001 
Australia 

PH: +613-9919-5221 
Fax: +613-9919-4324 
www.staff.vu.edu.au/commpsych 

________________________________

From: commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au
[mailto:commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au] On Behalf Of David Fryer
Sent: Thursday, 21 June 2007 6:04 PM
To: Adrian Fisher; Brian Bishop; commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au; Anna
Warne (E-mail); Chantal Nel (E-mail); Contos and Heath Warren Natalie
(E-mail); Costello Diane (E-mail); Dave Vicary (E-mail); Jennie Price
(E-mail); Karen Johnson (E-mail); Kendra Swaine (E-mail); Laura Willis
(E-mail); Lizzie Finn (E-mail); Melinda Jeffs (E-mail); Peta Dzidic
(E-mail); Ron Baker (E-mail); Simon Colquhoun (E-mail); Susan Griffiths
(E-mail)
Subject: Re: [Commpsych] (no subject)

Hi Adrian and all,

I appreciate that it is difficult for many of us to separate out
'critical' (in the sense of critical theory i.e. the surfacing and
contesting of the social processes and procedures through which
ideological oppression is achieved), which I am interested in doing and
think is an important part of community critical psychology, from
negative evaluation of individual people (which I am not interested in
doing and don't see as part of community critical psychology). I do
think it is important to distinguish between them and to do the former.
That is made difficult because oppressive practices and auto oppressive
practices are enacted by nice people of good intention just like us - in
fact by us - so reflexive critical processing of our own practices is
especially difficult to distinguish from criticism of the people who
enact the practices. Nevertheless, though difficult, I think it is
important for us to do it if we are serious about progressive practice.
Some of us have got used, at least to some extent, to attempting to
surface and critique the processes through which other forms of
oppression are constructed and maintained in our own practices (white
privilege, male privilege, patriarchy etc.) and we don't try to exclude
ourselves from the critique or excuse such practices as acceptable for
building a career, organisational politics, political argy bargy etc. We
have surely moved on from days when oppression was seen only as
something done by tyrants to subjected populations . . . to
understanding that oppression is achieved through 'govern-mentality'
through the everyday nitty gritty of how we think and how we act. We
need surely to be critically alert to our unintentional collusion with
intellectual and ideological  colonisation

I do think talk of insult to individuals misses the point completely but
of course it is far easier to malign the intentions and character of
anyone questioning practices than to engage with the critique
articulated. . In case it is still not clear, I am not passing a
judgement on the quality of the work or the motives of the individuals
you mention and think that the very good CP work around the world does
not need to submit itself to evaluation against the criteria of the
dominant manifestation of the discipline and thereby further legitimate
and empower it.  

David

________________________________

From: Adrian Fisher [mailto:Adrian.Fisher at vu.edu.au]
Sent: Thu 6/21/2007 01:16
To: David Fryer; Brian Bishop; commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au; Anna Warne
(E-mail); Chantal Nel (E-mail); Contos and Heath Warren Natalie
(E-mail); Costello Diane (E-mail); Dave Vicary (E-mail); Jennie Price
(E-mail); Karen Johnson (E-mail); Kendra Swaine (E-mail); Laura Willis
(E-mail); Lizzie Finn (E-mail); Melinda Jeffs (E-mail); Peta Dzidic
(E-mail); Ron Baker (E-mail); Simon Colquhoun (E-mail); Susan Griffiths
(E-mail)
Subject: RE: [Commpsych] (no subject)

Dear David and other list members

I first read this email a couple of hours ago, early in the morning. My
opinions have not changed.

To me, the email is an insult to Lizzie and her work, and an insult to
Brian (noting my earlier email of congratulations is in there). Brian's
email was a celebration of a great achievement, not a value judgement on
other theses that were not submitted or did not receive and award.

What really gets to me is a lack of understanding of the context in
which such awards are sought and the meanings that they may have in the
location -- especially the importance of international recognition.

Why have I nominated students for SCRA awards? Why will I in the future,
if I think the theses are good enough? Why will I encourage other
student and supervisors to nominate?

1 There are no local awards, nor are there any other international ones
that I know of that are relevant. Perhaps if the European Association
had an open award Australians could win that too.

2 Such awards do provide recognition of the work of the student, and can
assist them in their career progression.

3 In a marginalised area such as community psychology in Australia, such
awards are extremely important in the organisational politics. They
provide the supervisor with kudos from an international jury -- so
important in most of our psych departments where we are often not seen
as core business. In some universities there is big news made of a
student paper receiving an award at a conference, here we can celebrate
a PhD being judged in an international context.

4. For community psychology in Australia, marginalised within the
profession, such awards provide international backing for the quality of
the work done. It is the type of news that is spread around to
demonstrate that here is an area working world standard.
It helps community psychology in positioning itself in the political
argy bargy of things like the APS.

At another level, nominating for awards from SCRA is a political move.
It is aimed at showing those in the US that there is a vibrant, active,
and creative community psychology outside from which they can learn.
Good enough to take their prizes.

So, again congratulations to Lizze on her thesis and to Brian on his
supervision. Congratulations to Chris Sonn and Iain Butterworth on their
earlier awards, congratulations to me as the supervisor of Iain and
Chris, and congratulations to the students and supervisors who will
nominate and win these awards in the future

Adrian

Adrian Fisher PhD
Associate Professor
School of Psychology -- Footscray Park Campus
Victoria University
PO Box 14428
Melbourne VIC 8001
Australia

Phone:   +613-9919-5221
Fax:       +613-9919-4324
Website: www.staff.vu.edu.au/commpsych

-----Original Message-----
From: commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au on behalf of David Fryer
Sent: Thu 6/21/2007 7:44 AM
To: Adrian Fisher; Brian Bishop; commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au; Anna
Warne (E-mail); Chantal Nel (E-mail); Contos and Heath Warren Natalie
(E-mail); Costello Diane (E-mail); Dave Vicary (E-mail); Jennie Price
(E-mail); Karen Johnson (E-mail); Kendra Swaine (E-mail); Laura Willis
(E-mail); Lizzie Finn (E-mail); Melinda Jeffs (E-mail); Peta Dzidic
(E-mail); Ron Baker (E-mail); Simon Colquhoun (E-mail); Susan Griffiths
(E-mail)
Subject: Re: [Commpsych] (no subject)

Dear Lizzie (and all on the list),

A message from a critical ally in Europe . . . I have not yet had the
chance to read your thesis, Lizzie, but I have enjoyed our occasional
conversations and hope you will read the following message as NOT about
your thesis but as an expression of concern about multifaceted United
Statesian military, economic, cultural; intellectual, ideological global
domination. . . and what US military have referred to as the US drive
for 'full spectrum dominance' in every sphere. Amongst many other
domains, via its domination of community psychology textbook production,
cp journal publishing, cp faculty employment, postgraduate training
course mounting and its  outreach activities, there is a real danger in
my view of diverse community psychologies around the world being
colonised by United Statesian CP.

I am reluctant to leave unchallenged the positioning of your work to
support an implication that US CP has any legitimacy at all in setting
criteria of excellence in community psychology against which community
psychology around the world in general or Australia in particular should
be judged. In my view community psychologists around the world need to
resist having their work compared against a US CP measuring stick.

I am also loathe to leave unchallenged the implication that other PhD
thesis which never in a million years receive a SCRA award  are not
'good' . . . on the contrary I think that the type of  innovative
critical community psychology praxis, which I see as very good indeed,
amongst the best community psychology in Europe, would not stand a
chance of winning a SCRA award.

In my view community psychologists around the world have to be
constantly vigilant that rather than it being the case that it is non
United Statesian community psychologists "who have shown the USA what a
good thesis looks like", the opposite is more often the case.  

Surely Australian community psychology does not have to be measured for
quality against a US yardstick?

David

________________________________

From: commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au on behalf of Adrian Fisher
Sent: Mon 6/18/2007 02:41
To: Brian Bishop; commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au; Anna Warne (E-mail);
Chantal Nel (E-mail); Contos and Heath Warren Natalie (E-mail); Costello
Diane (E-mail); Dave Vicary (E-mail); Jennie Price (E-mail); Karen
Johnson (E-mail); Kendra Swaine (E-mail); Laura Willis (E-mail); Lizzie
Finn (E-mail); Melinda Jeffs (E-mail); Peta Dzidic (E-mail); Ron Baker
(E-mail); Simon Colquhoun (E-mail); Susan Griffiths (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [Commpsych] (no subject)

Hi

Big congratulations to Lizzie on the award, it is a major achievement.

Also, contrats to Brian as the supervisor.

adrian

Adrian Fisher PhD
Associate Professor
School of Psychology
Victoria University -- Footscray Park
PO Box 14428
Melbourne VIC 8001
Australia

PH: +613-9919-5221
Fax: +613-9919-4324
www.staff.vu.edu.au/commpsych

-----Original Message-----
From: commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au
[mailto:commpsych-bounces at lists.curtin.edu.au] On Behalf Of Brian Bishop
Sent: Thursday, 14 June 2007 1:50 PM
To: commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au; Anna Warne (E-mail); Brian Bishop
(E-mail); Chantal Nel (E-mail); Contos and Heath Warren Natalie
(E-mail); Costello Diane (E-mail); Dave Vicary (E-mail); Jennie Price
(E-mail); Karen Johnson (E-mail); Kendra Swaine (E-mail); Laura Willis
(E-mail); Lizzie Finn (E-mail); Melinda Jeffs (E-mail); Peta Dzidic
(E-mail); Ron Baker (E-mail); Simon Colquhoun (E-mail); Susan Griffiths
(E-mail)
Subject: [Commpsych] (no subject)

Dear All
Dr Lizzie Finn won the Emory Cowan Memorial Thesis for 2006 for her
thesis entitled  "Mutual help groups and psychological wellbeing:
A study of GROW, a community mental health organization". I was able to
collect the award on her behalf and the reception for her award was
overwhelming.
She joins the list of Iain Butterworth and Chris Sonn as Australians who
have shown the USA what a good thesis looks like.
Brian

Brian Bishop
_______________________________________________
Commpsych mailing list
Commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au
https://lists.curtin.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/commpsych
_______________________________________________
Commpsych mailing list
Commpsych at lists.curtin.edu.au
https://lists.curtin.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/commpsych

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The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by
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this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such
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