Kurt Danziger
Encyclopedia
Kurt Danziger is an academic whose work has focused on the history of psychology
, particularly in the 20th century. His innovative contributions to this field have received widespread international recognition.
in 1926 and emigrated to South Africa
at the age of 11. After receiving degrees in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of Cape Town
, he continued his studies at the newly established Institute of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford
in England. His work there involved standard 1940s psychology experiments using laboratory rats (e.g. Danziger, 1953). On completing his doctorate, he joined the University of Melbourne
in Australia where he did research in developmental psychology, studying children’s understanding of social relationships (e.g. Danziger, 1957).
In 1954, Danziger moved back to South Africa where social psychology
soon became his main area of research. Following a two-year stay as Visiting Professor at Gadjah Mada University
in Jogjakarta, Indonesia
, Danziger returned to South Africa as Head of Psychology at the University of Cape Town. There he conducted some groundbreaking studies inspired by the sociology of knowledge (e.g. Danziger, 1963). This research is still cited and was continued by others for many years (e.g. Du Preez & Collins, 1985; Nelson, 1992; Finchilescu & Dawes, 1999). Danziger’s time in Cape Town, and his eventual departure from South Africa, were marked by his opposition to the apartheid policies which were being enforced with increasing violence and brutality. This active opposition, both within and outside the academy, eventually led to threats and reprisals on the part of what was becoming a repressive police state. He left South Africa for Canada in 1965 and was prohibited from returning until the collapse of the old system after 1990.
Danziger took up an appointment as Professor of Psychology at York University, Toronto, where he continued to work in social psychology. His publications from this time include a textbook, Socialization (Danziger, 1971) and a monograph, Interpersonal Communication (Danziger, 1976), both of which were translated into several languages.
Danziger had a longstanding interest in the history of psychology and began intensive study of primary sources in the early 1970s. He became particularly interested in Wilhelm Wundt's
work. Around the time of psychology’s "centennial", marking the establishment of Wundt’s laboratory in 1879, Danziger published a number of chapters and articles related to this topic (e.g. Danziger, 1979a). However, during the 1980s, he became increasingly interested in the history of psychological research methods (e.g. Danziger, 1985). This interest culminated in what is probably Danziger’s best-known book,Constructing the Subject: Historical Origins of Psychological Research (Danziger, 1990). Danziger was also interested in the history of psychological concepts and categories, and in a later book, Naming the Mind: How Psychology Found Its Language (Danziger, 1997), he traced the historical origins of modern psychological concepts like "behavior
", "intelligence
", "attitude
", "personality
" and "motivation
". He continued this line of work in his book, Marking the Mind: A History of Memory (Danziger, 2008). The book is a wide-ranging history of the concept from Ancient Greece to the present. It has already had some positive reviews (Brock, 2010; Pilotti, 2009; Roediger, 2009; Wertheimer, 2010).
Danziger was invited to contribute an autobiographical chapter to an edited collection titled, A History of Psychology in Autobiography, which was published in 2009 (Mos, 2009). The contributors to the volume are eminent but unorthodox psychologists. Danziger's chapter is titled, "Confessions of a Marginal Psychologist” (Danziger, 2009).
His most recent work is a web book titled, Problematic Encounter: Talks on Psychology and History (Danziger, 2010). The book consists of 12 talks which, for the most part, were previously unpublished or published in outlets with a limited readership, such as newsletters and conference proceedings. Danziger has revised some of these talks, grouped them together according to common themes and written a new introduction to them. A free copy of the book can be downloaded here.
in 1989. In 1994, he received the Canadian Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training for his role in creating the graduate program in history and theory of psychology at York University, Toronto. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the History of Psychology in 2000 and an Honorary Doctorate in Social Science from the University of Cape Town in 2004. He will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association in 2011.
Four symposia on Kurt Danziger's work have been organised since the publication of Constructing the Subject in 1990. Details of these symposia and the publications that resulted from them can be found here. One of these publications is an edited book, Rediscovering the History of Psychology: Essays Inspired by the Work of Kurt Danziger (Brock, Louw & van Hoorn, 2003). It contains chapters by prominent historians of psychology from North America, Europe and South Africa, as well as a commentary on the chapters by Kurt Danziger. For those who require an introduction to Kurt Danziger’s work, the introduction to this book is recommended (Brock, 2003). This introduction is available here. The book also contains a comprehensive bibliography of Kurt Danziger’s publications from 1951 to 2003.
In 1994, one of Danziger's students, Adrian Brock conducted an interview which was published in several places (e.g. Brock, 1995). Danziger had always thought that this interview concentrated too much on him as a person and not enough on his work and so another, more work-focussed, interview was conducted many years later. The second interview was published in the journal, History of Psychology (Brock, 2006). Both interviews can be found here.
A website devoted to Kurt Danziger's work was started in 2010. The address of the website is www.kurtdanziger.com.
History of psychology
The history of psychology as a scholarly study of the mind and behavior dates back to the Ancient Greeks. There is also evidence of psychological thought in ancient Egypt. Psychology was a branch of philosophy until the 1870s, when psychology developed as an independent scientific discipline in...
, particularly in the 20th century. His innovative contributions to this field have received widespread international recognition.
Biography
He was born in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1926 and emigrated to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
at the age of 11. After receiving degrees in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
, he continued his studies at the newly established Institute of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in England. His work there involved standard 1940s psychology experiments using laboratory rats (e.g. Danziger, 1953). On completing his doctorate, he joined the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
in Australia where he did research in developmental psychology, studying children’s understanding of social relationships (e.g. Danziger, 1957).
In 1954, Danziger moved back to South Africa where social psychology
Social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
soon became his main area of research. Following a two-year stay as Visiting Professor at Gadjah Mada University
Gadjah Mada University
The Gadjah Mada University is the largest and the oldest national university in Indonesia . founded on December 19, 1949; although the first lecture was given on 13 March 1946. The name was taken from the name of Majapahit's Prime Minister, Gajah Mada.UGM is located in Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa...
in Jogjakarta, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Danziger returned to South Africa as Head of Psychology at the University of Cape Town. There he conducted some groundbreaking studies inspired by the sociology of knowledge (e.g. Danziger, 1963). This research is still cited and was continued by others for many years (e.g. Du Preez & Collins, 1985; Nelson, 1992; Finchilescu & Dawes, 1999). Danziger’s time in Cape Town, and his eventual departure from South Africa, were marked by his opposition to the apartheid policies which were being enforced with increasing violence and brutality. This active opposition, both within and outside the academy, eventually led to threats and reprisals on the part of what was becoming a repressive police state. He left South Africa for Canada in 1965 and was prohibited from returning until the collapse of the old system after 1990.
Danziger took up an appointment as Professor of Psychology at York University, Toronto, where he continued to work in social psychology. His publications from this time include a textbook, Socialization (Danziger, 1971) and a monograph, Interpersonal Communication (Danziger, 1976), both of which were translated into several languages.
Danziger had a longstanding interest in the history of psychology and began intensive study of primary sources in the early 1970s. He became particularly interested in Wilhelm Wundt's
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt was a German physician, psychologist, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology"...
work. Around the time of psychology’s "centennial", marking the establishment of Wundt’s laboratory in 1879, Danziger published a number of chapters and articles related to this topic (e.g. Danziger, 1979a). However, during the 1980s, he became increasingly interested in the history of psychological research methods (e.g. Danziger, 1985). This interest culminated in what is probably Danziger’s best-known book,Constructing the Subject: Historical Origins of Psychological Research (Danziger, 1990). Danziger was also interested in the history of psychological concepts and categories, and in a later book, Naming the Mind: How Psychology Found Its Language (Danziger, 1997), he traced the historical origins of modern psychological concepts like "behavior
Behavior
Behavior or behaviour refers to the actions and mannerisms made by organisms, systems, or artificial entities in conjunction with its environment, which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as the physical environment...
", "intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
", "attitude
Attitude (psychology)
An attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for something. Attitudes are generally positive or negative views of a person, place, thing, or event— this is often referred to as the attitude object...
", "personality
Personality psychology
Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and individual differences. Its areas of focus include:* Constructing a coherent picture of the individual and his or her major psychological processes...
" and "motivation
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
". He continued this line of work in his book, Marking the Mind: A History of Memory (Danziger, 2008). The book is a wide-ranging history of the concept from Ancient Greece to the present. It has already had some positive reviews (Brock, 2010; Pilotti, 2009; Roediger, 2009; Wertheimer, 2010).
Danziger was invited to contribute an autobiographical chapter to an edited collection titled, A History of Psychology in Autobiography, which was published in 2009 (Mos, 2009). The contributors to the volume are eminent but unorthodox psychologists. Danziger's chapter is titled, "Confessions of a Marginal Psychologist” (Danziger, 2009).
His most recent work is a web book titled, Problematic Encounter: Talks on Psychology and History (Danziger, 2010). The book consists of 12 talks which, for the most part, were previously unpublished or published in outlets with a limited readership, such as newsletters and conference proceedings. Danziger has revised some of these talks, grouped them together according to common themes and written a new introduction to them. A free copy of the book can be downloaded here.
Honors, awards and tributes
Danziger has received many honours and awards during his career. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of CanadaRoyal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
in 1989. In 1994, he received the Canadian Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training for his role in creating the graduate program in history and theory of psychology at York University, Toronto. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the History of Psychology in 2000 and an Honorary Doctorate in Social Science from the University of Cape Town in 2004. He will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association in 2011.
Four symposia on Kurt Danziger's work have been organised since the publication of Constructing the Subject in 1990. Details of these symposia and the publications that resulted from them can be found here. One of these publications is an edited book, Rediscovering the History of Psychology: Essays Inspired by the Work of Kurt Danziger (Brock, Louw & van Hoorn, 2003). It contains chapters by prominent historians of psychology from North America, Europe and South Africa, as well as a commentary on the chapters by Kurt Danziger. For those who require an introduction to Kurt Danziger’s work, the introduction to this book is recommended (Brock, 2003). This introduction is available here. The book also contains a comprehensive bibliography of Kurt Danziger’s publications from 1951 to 2003.
In 1994, one of Danziger's students, Adrian Brock conducted an interview which was published in several places (e.g. Brock, 1995). Danziger had always thought that this interview concentrated too much on him as a person and not enough on his work and so another, more work-focussed, interview was conducted many years later. The second interview was published in the journal, History of Psychology (Brock, 2006). Both interviews can be found here.
A website devoted to Kurt Danziger's work was started in 2010. The address of the website is www.kurtdanziger.com.