About ISTP
A Brief History
ISTP was founded in 1985 in Plymouth, UK. The first conference brought together a wide range of perspectives, from more traditional lines of thought to more critical, historical, cultural, and discursive directions. One of the focal points of the discussion was Kurt Lewin’s formulation (going back to Kant), There is nothing more practical than a good theory. This was a harbinger of meetings to come. Initially, ISTP was dominated by psychologists from northern Europe and North America. Not surprisingly, there was a concentration of formal academic programs in theoretical psychology in this part of the world. But as formal theory programs became scarce, the Society became more truly international. Since the late 1990s, the conferences have been held all over the world, including Berlin, Sydney, Calgary, Istanbul, Cape Town, Toronto, Nanjing, Thessaloniki, Santiago de Chile, Coventry, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Sacramento, and Belgrade (see “Conferences” for more information). The meetings have attracted a great many local participants, cultivating the Society’s openness to a multiplicity of perspectives, approaches, and orientations. In the words of one of ISTP’s founding members, Henderikus J. Stam: “It is in the fine-grained analyses of life on the ground that we find a psychology detailed enough to be worthy of the name, while at the same time we address those larger claims as are embedded in the problems of language, activity, culture … that make the local studies possible” (2017, p. 7).
What we do
01
Biennial Conferences
For over 40 years, the biennial conferences have been the core event of ISTP. The next conference will be held at the University of Belgrade on May 20–24, 2024.
02
ISTP Seminar Series
To provide continuity between the conferences, ISTP established the online Seminar Series Spaces for Theoretical Explorations. The first seminar in the Series will be held in September 2024 on the topic: Theorizing About Objects in Psychology.
03
Summer Schools and PhD courses
ISTP is supporting Summer Schools and PhD courses organized by members of the society.
04
Sigmund Koch Prize
Student members of ISTP presenting at an ISTP conference are invited to submit their papers for consideration for the Sigmund Koch Award.
05
Student Travel Award
ISTP awards up to five scholarships to doctoral students to attend and present at the biennial ISTP conferences.
06
Financial Support for Underfunded Scholars
ISTP offers grants to scholars who do not have sufficient funds to travel to and attend ISTP conferences.
Past Presidents
Ernst Schraube, Roskilde University, Denmark | 2022–2024
Antonia Larrain, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile | 2019–2022
Paul Stenner, The Open University, United Kingdom | 2017–2019
Lorraine Radke, University of Calgary, Canada | 2015–2017
Thomas Teo, York University, Toronto, Canada | 2013–2015
Mandy Morgan, Massey University, New Zealand | 2011–2013
Vasi van Deventer, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa | 2009–2011
Rachel Joffe Falmagne, Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA | 2007–2009
Leendert P. Mos, University of Alberta, Canada | 2003–2005
Betty M. Bayer, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, USA | 2001-2003
Ian Lubek, University of Guelph, Canada | 1995–2001
Henderikus J. Stam, University of Calgary, Canada | 1991–1995
Hans van Rappard, Free University Amsterdam, The Netherlands | 1985–1991
Sigmund Koch Award Winners
Haris Psaros, University of Groningen, The Netherlands | Belgrade Conference 2024
Alexis Fabricius, University of Guelph, Canada; Hana Hawlina, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Valentina Guzman, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Chile | Sacramento Conference 2022
Alfred Thomas Bordado Sköld, Aalborg University, Denmark & Martina Cabra, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland | Copenhagen Conference 2019
Susannah Mulvale, York University, Toronto, Canada | Tokyo Conference 2017
Alexander Vasilovsky, Ryerson University, Canada | Coventry Conference 2015
Zhipeng Gao, York University, Toronto, Canada | Santiago Conference 2013
Brady Wagoner, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | Nanjing Conference 2009
Eri Park, London School of Economics, United Kingdom | Toronto Conference 2007
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