History of Psychology in Latin America: A Cultural Approach (Latin American Voices)

This book presents a cultural history of psychology that analyzes the diverse contexts in which psychological knowledge and practices have developed in Latin America. The book aims to contribute to the growing effort to develop a theoretical knowledge that complements the biographical perspective centered on the great figures, with a polycentric history that emphasizes the different cultural, social, economic and political phenomena that accompanied the emergence of psychology. The different chapters of this volume show the production of historians of psychology in Latin America who are part of the Ibero-American Network of Researchers in History of Psychology (RIPeHP, in the Portuguese acronym for "Rede Iberoamericana de Pesquisadores em História da Psicologia"). They present a significant sample of the research carried out in a field that has experienced a strong development in the region in the last decades. The volume is divided into two parts. The first presents comparative chapters that address cross-cutting issues in the different countries of the region. The second part analyzes particular aspects of the development of psychology in seven countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru. Throughout these chapters the reader will find how psychology made its way through dictatorial governments, phenomena of violence and internal armed conflict, among others. Dimensions that include rigorous analysis ranging from ancestral practices to current geopolitical knowledge of the Latin American region. ​History of Psychology in Latin America - A Cultural Approach is an invaluable resource for historians of psychology, anywhere in the world, interested in a polycentric and critical approach. Since its content is part of the "cultural turn in psychology" it is also of interest to readers interested in the social and human sciences in general. Finally, the thoroughly international perspective provided through its chapters make the book a key resource for both undergraduate and graduate teaching and education on the past and current state of psychology. Contents 6 Part I: General Notes on a History of Psychology in Latin America 8 Chapter 1: Historiography of Latin American Psychology: Notes and Challenges 9 Introduction 9 The Strengthening of a Tradition in the Historiographic Studies of Psychology in the Region 10 Objectives and Scope of a Cultural Approach to the Historical Studies of Latin American Psychology 14 Bets for the Advancement of Historiographic Research in Psychology 16 References 17 Chapter 2: The Jesuits in the History of Latin American Psychology 20 Introduction 20 Philosophical Psychology of the Jesuits and Its Transmission in Latin America 23 The Process of Building Knowledge of the Indigenous Peoples and Their Psychological Characteristics in Epistolary Correspondence and in Writings 26 The Therapeutic Power of Words 32 The Person as to Become and Education as a Process, from a Jesuit Perspective 36 Psychological Knowledge and Cultural Practices 40 References 45 Primary Sources 45 Secondary Sources 46 Chapter 3: A Comparative History of Psychology During the South American Dictatorships (1964–1985) 48 Introduction 48 Some Methodological Premises for This Study 49 Some Important Characteristics of the Cono Sur Dictatorships 50 Training, Research, and Academic Development in the Context of the Cono Sur Dictatorships 52 The Case of Paraguay 52 The Case of Bolivia 54 The Case of Brazil 55 The Case of Chile 57 The Case of Uruguay 57 The Case of Argentina 58 Refuge and Exile in Psychology 60 Torture, Disappearance, and Murder of Psychologists 61 Final Considerations 62 References 64 Chapter 4: The Development of Psychology in Latin America: Geopolitical Contexts and Psychosocial Processes 67 Introduction 67 Geopolitical Contexts and Psychosocial Processes in Latin American Psychology 69 The Case of Argentina 70 The Case of Bolivia 73 The Case of Brazil 74 The Case of Chile 75 The Case of Colombia 77 The Case of Cuba 78 The Case of Guatemala 79 The Case of Mexico 80 The Case of Paraguay 82 The Case of Peru 83 The Case of Venezuela 85 Conclusion 87 References 89 Part II: Narratives for a Social, Political and Cultural History of Psychology 96 Chapter 5: Culture, Politics, and Society in the History of Psychology in Argentina 97 Introduction 97 The Early Development of Psychology in Argentina (1895–1916) 98 Psychology in the Interwar Years (1916–1941) 103 Psychotechnics and Professional Guidance (1941–1962) 112 The Debate on the Psychologists’ Role: Between Political Developmentalism, Mental Health, and Dictatorship (1965–1983) 120 Democratic Transition and Institutional Normalization of Psychology in the Context of the Crises and Changes in Argentinian Higher Education (1984–2009) 129 Challenges During the New Millennium: Accreditation of Psychology Programs and the Mental Health Field Issue (2009-2020) 132 References 133 Chapter 6: Psychology in Brazil: The Trajectory of a Science and a Profession 142 Introduction 142 Brazil in the Nineteenth Century 143 Reception and Appropriation of Psychological Theories 144 The Applicability of Knowledge: Psychological Tests in the Early Twentieth Century 147 The Administrative Centralization of the Vargas Administration 149 The Great Modernization of the 1950s 151 The Military Dictatorship, Technological Modernization, and Its Effects 154 The Great Turnaround of the 1980s 157 In the Twenty-First Century: Nature vs. Culture? Or Soul? 159 Conclusions 160 References 161 Chapter 7: Psychology in Colombia: A Story from Violence 164 Introduction 164 The Intellectual Colonialism of Colombian Psychology in the Light of the Outbreak of the Extreme Violence (1948–1960) 165 The Configuration of a Psychology Facing the Reality of the Internal Armed Conflict in Colombia (1961–1980) 168 The Bet of a Political Dimension in Colombian Psychology (1981–1990) 170 The Evolution of Psychology Facing a Post-conflict Colombia (1991–2020) 172 Final Consideration 175 References 176 Chapter 8: Psychological Approach to the Study of the Original Peruvian Man 179 Introduction 179 Ideas About the Psychology of the Peruvian Indian in the Colonial Period 180 Ideas About the Degeneracy of the Peruvian Indian at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century 183 Conclusions 186 References 187 Chapter 9: Psychology, History, and Culture in Paraguay 191 Introduction 191 The Colonial Stage and the Previous Times 193 Education and Sociology in Their Relationships with Psychology 206 The Establishment of Psychology as an Autonomous Training Area 211 Conclusion 213 References 215 Chapter 10: Psychology and Education: Childhood Mental Hygiene in Chile (1920–1946) 220 Introduction 220 Mental Hygiene: Concept, Institutions and Practices 221 Institutionalization of Mental Hygiene in Chile and Its Expansion into Childhood 223 Childhood Mental Hygiene at the Conduct Disorder Clinic 229 Conclusion 236 References 237 Chapter 11: A Different Source for the Study of Psychology in Mexico: Catholic Education 242 Introduction 242 The Introduction of the Study of Psychology in the Educational Project of the Nascent Liberal State 243 The First Proposal for a Psychology Class in 1881 245 The Definitive Inclusion of the Study of Psychology in the ENP in 1896 246 The Study of Psychology in Diocesan and Religious Colleges and Seminars 247 The Context of State: Church Conflicts 248 The Ideas Introduced and Those Developed in Mexico 252 Conclusions 253 References 255 Index 257