| Description | Audio cassette sound recording of an interview with Professor Ann Phoenix, FRSA, AcSS, Thomas Coram Research Unit for the British Psychological Society's Oral History project.
The interview was conducted by Peter Barnes in 2008.
Topics covered:
The following summary is by way of introduction to the full recording held at the British Psychological Society's History of Psychology Centre, London.
Performers:
Ann Phoenix (AP)
Peter Barnes (PB)
Side A:
Topics:
PB begins the interview by asking AP for a potted biography.
AP talks of how she came to London from the Caribbean at the age of 6, her primary and school education, how she worked in telecommunications after leaving school, how Major Brain Hordle encouraged and arranged for her to to take 4 years leave and go to University.
AP speaks of her time at St Andrews, how she chose psychology and philosophy, her fellow students, her supervisor Andy Whiten, her research project, her examiner Brian Foss and her move to Manchester to do a PhD.
AP talks of her thesis at Manchester on observation studies, people at manchester including Judy Dunn, S? Halliday, John Churcher, Noth West Group, Peter Lloyd, how she did not finish her PhD, marriage and Cliff Davies her PhD supervisor.
AP speaks of her move to the Thomas Coram Research Unit, her book 'Young Mothers', Peter Moss, Judy Brandon ?, Ted Mellish,, her supervisor Barbara Tizard, her PhD based on her book, her examiner Martin Richards, Phil Salmon at Cambridge, Henry McGuirk and her move to Brunel University.
AP talks of her time at Brunel and people there including John Richardson, Ross Gill, Karen Henwood, Colin Squire ?, Marie Gillespie.
AP talks of social psychology teaching at Brunel and how she left in 1993-1994 to go to Birkbeck.
AP talks of her research at Birkbeck with Caroline Kelly on mature students, her work on masculinities with Stephen Frosh and Rob Patman and the current psychology department at Birkbeck.
AP moves on to speak of her time at the Open University, her work with Wendy [Hollway], professorial fellowships and how she returned to the Thomas Coram Unit (names mentioned at TCU include: Geoff Whitty Peter Moss and others).
PB asks AP to look back at her pre-university days and speak of her reason to take up psychology at St Andrews.
AP talks of her time as an undergraduate, home office licence, ethics and the BPS, Terry Bloomfield, St Andrews reading group, her fellow students at St Andrews, Nils Tomes, George Meodrag? and Linda Pollock
PB asks AP about her move to England from the Caribbean and whether all her family moved at the same time.
AP responds that she was a serial migrant and speaks about her family, her family background, her parents, her schooldays, ethnicism in London, her move to south east London, primary school experiences and her time at school in the Caribbean.
PB asks AP if her ethnic origins have been a handicap
AP speaks of identities, her teachers at school, her champions at school , black students going into psychology today and the IQ debate.
PB asks AP what were the intellectual themes through her career, the institutions etc.
AP speaks of the 1970s, Martin Richards' book, social child development, Lamb [M.E.] on fathers, Judy Dunn's work, Mundy Castle's paper on SOS, social and developmental link, her lifetime interest in children and parenting, identities of children and parents, social constructionism.
Side A ends
c 40mins
Side B begins
Topics:
PB talks of Bill Joynson, his time at Nottingham University and Joynson's book 'Psychology and Common Sense'
AP talks of serendipity in her life, Andy Whiten and Cliff Davies, St Andrews, Wolfson conversion, Pat Peachley?, Judy Dunn, her career decisions and her interest in research
PB asks AP if she regrets any opportunities she might have taken but didn't
AP talks of Nottingham University and its clinical qualification, Charlie Lewis
AP speaks of the Thomas Coram Unit, her empirical work, research, her interdisciplinary work, her membership of British Sociological Association, history of psychology and her BPS centenary lecture.
PB asks AP if there are other professional bodies she has been involved with
AP talks of the Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology, ACCP, Family Parenting Institute, Youth and Young Voice, Black parents movement, George Padmore Unit
PB asks AP if she has any memories of conferences, presentations etc.
AP talks of the 1984 BPS Developmental conference, SSRC, Jerome Bruner talk in Oxford, Michael Bamberg on 'Identities' in Luxembourg and Feminist conferences.
PB asks AP about the gender side in her career
AP speaks her feminism, social justice.
PB asks AP what she hopes to be doing for the remainder of her career
AP mentions how she is still concerned with identities, theorising the psycho-social, working with Wendy Hollway, parents' identities, understanding masculinities.
PB asks AP for people she may have influenced now and in the future
AP talks of her published material, her book 'Young Mothers' her book on black and white or mixed race with Barbara Tizard, her masculinities work.
PB asks AP if there are things they haven't talked about yet and does she have anything to add
AP talks of the influence of discourse analysis, the work of Jack and Barbara Tizard, race and IQ, psychologists of their time, historicism.
AP talks of learning from young people.
PB thanks AP and the interview ends.
Side B ends
c 36 mins
Total Running Time: c 76mins. Side B starts 8 minutes in.
Summary by Mike Maskill, BPS Archivist. |
| RunTime | On one FE90 cassette, running time c 76 minutes. Side B starts 8 minutes in. |
| AdminHistory | Date of Birth: 27/03/1955
Place of Birth: St Vincent, Caribbean
University and Professional Training:
University of St Andrews, MA Psychology 1978
University of London, PhD in Psychology, 1992
Linkoping University, Sweden, Honorary Doctorate, May 2003
Professional career:
Telecommunications Traffic Officer, Post Office, 1973-1974
Telecommunications Traffic Officer, Post Office, (unpaid special leave to do degree), 1974-1978
University of Manchester SSRC studentship, 1978-1981
Full time childcare, 1981-1982
Abraham Moss College of Further Education, Manchester, Lecturer in study skills, 1982-1983
Research Officer, Thomas Coram Research Unit, University of London, IoE, 1983-1992
Lecturer B in Psychology, Brunel University, 1992-1994
Lecturer B in Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London, 1994-1997
Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London, 1997-1999
Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Open University, 1999-2003
Professor of Social and Developmental Psychology, Open University, 2003-?
Professor and Co-Director of the Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London (nd)
ESRC Professorial Fellow for the Transforming Experiences research programme (research grant), 2007-2009.
Other appointments (selected):
Visiting Professor Umea University Sweden, 2003 to 2007 (various weeks)
Maria Gopfert-Professor Oldenburg University, Lower Saxony, Germany (6 weeks) 2007
Visiting Professor, Roskilde University, Denmark (6 weeks), 2003
Guest Professor, Dept.of Child Studies, Linkoping University.
Involvement with BPS and/or other societies and organisations:
Fellow of the Academy of Learned Societies, 2003-
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, 1999-
Member of British Sociological Association, 1996-
Member of Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 1992-
Member of Society for Psychological Study of Social Issues, 2001-2004
Member of Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents, 1994-1997
Member of International Association for the Study of Racism, 1995-1998
Member of Society for Research on Adolescence, 1995-1998
Member Association of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1985-1998 |