Responsible Opposition, Disruptive Voices

Abstract

Feminist psychology began as an avowedly political project with an explicit social change agenda. However, over the last two decades, a number of critics have argued that feminist psychology has become mired in an epistemological impasse where positivist commitments effectively mute its political project, rendering the field acceptable to mainstream psychology yet shorn of its transformative vision. In this article, we explore the complexity of allying positivism with a transformative project using two illustrative examples from feminist psychology's history. Both Naomi Weisstein, whose work was catalytic in the creation of feminist psychology in the 1970s, and Ethel Tobach, who has consistently fought against sexism, racism, and other forms of injustice as both scientist and citizen, have remained committed to the scientific ideal without losing sight of their political projects. An examination of their efforts reveals the vital necessity, but ultimate insufficiency, of this position for creating large scale social change as well as a need for constant vigilance to the politics of knowledge in which science—and feminism—are embedded.

Cracking The Code: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Canadian Code Of Ethics For Psychologists

“…Although critical psychology and relevant interdisciplinary fields comprise a significant body of literature detailing the concerns, harms, and unethical practices of exclusion in psychology and the helping professions more broadly, these have not been directly taken up in the CPA Code or in mainstream psychology. A number of critical and feminist psychologists have identified the harms related to mainstream psychology's narrow representation of mental health knowledge and expertise in education, research, and clinical practice (Adame, 2011;Adame & Knudson, 2008;Austin & Prilleltensky, 2001;Austin, Rutherford, & Pyke, 2006;Ball, Bazar, MacKay, Rodkey, Rutherford, & Young, 2013;Bassman, 1997Bassman, , 2001Bhatia, 2002;Billington & Williams, 2015;Breen & Darlaston-Jones, 2010;Fine & Burns, 2003;Mays, 1988;Painter, 2015;Riggs, 2004;Rose, 1998;Rutherford, 2011;Rutherford, Vaughn-Blount, & Ball, 2010;Smith, Chambers, & Bratini, 2009;Teo, 2009Teo, , 2015aTeo, , 2015b. Moreover, scholars have additionally articulated the various institutionally-located racist practices of mental health institutions (Bhatia, 2002;Bhavnani & Phoenix, 1994;Painter, 2015) as well as the institutional production of race and mental health normativity (Ahmed, 2007(Ahmed, , 2012Painter, 2015).…”

Navigating Open Science as Early Career Feminist Researchers

“…For all areas of psychology to participate equally in Open Science, all areas of psychology should be considered equal to begin with. However, the principles and practices of feminist psychology have historically been marginalized from mainstream psychology (MacArthur & Shields, 2014;Rutherford et al, 2010). This is an issue particularly pertinent to ECRs in this field, who have a less established sense of voice and are, therefore, less equipped to destabilize mainstream norms of research (Macoun, & Miller, 2014).…”

La historia de la psicología en clave crítica. Juicios y prejuicios en el análisis de la psicología de la “mujer universitaria” en Argentina a comienzos del siglo XX

“…En algunos trabajos incluso se observó la relación entre feminismo y psicología elucidando los encuentros y desencuentros entre ambos y la mirada sobre la -mujer‖ y el -varón‖ que tuvo y tiene la psicología con su consecuente poder disciplinador e incluso performativo (García Dauder 2010b;Kendler, 2003;Pujal Llombart y Amigot Leache, 2010;Rutherford, Vaughn-Blount, y Ball, 2010;Saavedra y Nogueira, 2006;Shields, 2007). En otros trabajos sensibles a la categoría género, entendida como un conjunto de prácticas interrelacionadas que en un momento histórico definen lo masculino y lo femenino estructurando relaciones de poder (Scott, 1993), se ha indagado la relación de la psicología con la política y la transmisión de valores.…”