Three challenges for a History of Psychology in Argentina

Comments on Hugo Klappenbach’s “Periodización de la psicología en Argentina”

Abstract

This article revisits H. Klappenbach’s article “Periodización de la psicología en Argentina”. Over the last twenty years, there has been a proliferation of studies and lines of research on the history of psychology in Argentina or related to it, expanding the critical mass from which we can now continue to refine our analysis and explore new avenues of inquiry. In this article, we raise three challenges from the perspective of a critical history of psychology: 1) the strategies of periodization at play; 2) the problematisation of geographical space (thus the idea of nation); 3) the implications of shifting from a history of individual actors to a focus on collective agents. With regard to these three points, we offer a reflection on the problem of how to periodise and the way in which research questions are framed. In addition, we present a series of local histories of psychology that allow us to discuss the idea of Argentina in light of the tensions between centres and peripheries, as well as the role of the production of psychological knowledge in broader social and political issues. Finally, we present a series of research projects that address a history of psychology centred on collective agents: political movements, journals and professional associations. As we design research projects, take on teaching roles in undergraduate programmes and work within the public university sector, this threefold challenge compels us to rethink our practices as researchers and educators, with all the richness and complexity that this entails.