Report of the Annual Meeting of Cheiron, International Society for the History of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Katharine S
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Report of the Annual Meeting of Cheiron, International Society for the History of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Katharine S. Milar, Executive Officer Cheiron held its 43rd annual meeting jointly with the International Society for the History of the Neurosciences in Calgary, Alberta, June 16-19, 2011. Program chairs Fred Weizmann (York University, Cheiron) and Frank Stahnisch (University of Calgary, ISHN) put together a packed program of diverse papers and symposia plus three keynote addresses, three featured lectures and other special events. Local arrangements chairs Henderikus Stam, Frank Stahnisch and Andrew Bullock made sure all the participants were well fed and housed and that everything ran smoothly. The conference opened on Thursday with a lecture on the history of the Alberta Frontier exploding the myth that somehow Canadian cowboys were a milder version of their US counterparts. On Thursday evening, there was a special lecture by Elizabeth Lunbeck, Vanderbilt University, “The Narcissism of the Powerful: Charisma and Fascination in Psychoanalytic Thought.” This was followed by movie night with Cathy Faye and Lizette Royer from the Archives of the History of American Psychology and a fascinating film on John Paul Scott ‘s behavioral work at the Jackson Laboratories. Friday opened with a keynote lecture by Bryan Kolb, University of Lethbridge on the history of behavioral neuroscience. It was the perfect integration of the interests of members of both societies. Friday evening’s very special entertainment was a presentation by Axel Karenberg (University of Cologne Germany), “A Life in Major and Minor Keys: Frédéric Chopin from a Psychiatric Perspective,” a sort of medical biography of Chopin accompanied by various pieces of Chopin’s music played by University of Calgary professor of piano, Charles Foreman. Saturday was a packed day of papers and symposia, beginning with a featured lecture by Emily Martin, New York University, “Anthropology and the History of Experimental Psychology,” and including a keynote address by Andrew Scull, University of California at San Diego on the history of psychiatry and the social sciences post World War II. After the business meeting, we were bused to Heritage Park where we banqueted surrounded by beautiful antique cars and gas pumps. Sunday featured six more paper sessions and symposia. At the business meeting Jennifer Bazar and Ed Morris were elected to the Review Committee to replace Ann Johnson and Kate Harper who were rotating off. The 2012 Book Award Committee was announced, new procedures for the Young Scholar Award were proposed by the Review Committee, and there was a discussion about ways to increase our interest earnings and to attract new members. Cheiron 2012 will be a joint meeting with the European Society for the History of the Human Sciences in Montreal, Quebec, July 18-21, 2012. Michael Pettit, York University and Uljana Feest, Berlin Institute of Technology, are program co-chairs. Sam Parkovnick, Dawson University will be in charge of local arrangements. .