Crowds, Psychology, and Politics, 1871–1899 (Cambridge Studies in the History of Psychology) - Softcover

Ginneken, Jaap Van

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521032490 ISBN 13: 9780521032490

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2006

Synopsis

Jaap van Ginneken's study explores the social and intellectual history of the emergence of the field of crowd psychology in the late nineteenth century in France and Italy. Both the popular work of the French physician LeBon, considered the "father" of this field, and his predecessors are shown to be influenced and closely connected with the dramatic events and academic debates of their day. Although LeBon is generally thought of as the creator of the field of crowd psychology, this study demonstrates how he derived most of his key concepts from immediate predecessors, without acknowledging his debt to them. Professor van Ginneken traces the descendants and heirs of the original authors throughout Europe, using unpublished correspondence to shed light on their mutual relations. Recognizing that LeBon's work was by far the most popular, the success of his work is shown to have had a decisive influence on many major political leaders of the twentieth century--including Theodore Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler. The work provides an international and historiographical account of the early history of crowd psychology, emphasizing the community of better and lesser known authors in this field and placing it in the context of the major scientific debates of the day.

About this title

Book Description:

Jaap van Ginneken's study explores the social and intellectual history of the emergence of crowd psychology in the late nineteenth century. Both the popular work of the French physician LeBon and his predecessors are shown to be influenced and closely connected with both the dramatic events and academic debates of their day.

Review:

"...carefully researched...The author is to be congratulated for digging out hither to unpublished material from a well-ploughed field." J.S. McClelland, Times Higher Education Supplement

"...a significant contribution to the intellectual history of crowd psychology." Hugh Freeman, Nature

"Van Ginneken provides readers with a landmark study of books dealing with crowd psychology written between 1871 and 1899....Required reading for courses in the history of the social sciences, this clearly and engagingly written book will also interest the general reader." B. Kilborne, Choice

"...sketches the development of theories on crowds as they were formulated in history, criminology, anthropology, psychology and psychiatry....Both its breadth and its inclusion of social context make Van Ginneken's analysis remarkably comprehensive." Johannes C. Pols, ISIS

"...the reader gets a fascinating glimpse of how sociopolitical movements such as socialism, nationalism and colonialism contributed to the emergence of a national psychology...a rich and well-documented account on the origins of crowd psychology from a constructionist perspective...the writing is clear and well-organized. The book is enhanced by extensive illustrations drawn form popular periodicals of the era." Henry Minton, Theory & Psychology

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0521032490
• ISBN 13: 9780521032490
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 284