Ruling minds :
Linstrum, Erik, 1983-
Ruling minds : psychology in the British empire / Erik Linstrum. - 1 online resource (309 pages) : illustrations
Includes bibliographical references and index.
The laboratory in the field : inventing imperial psychology -- A dream dictionary for the world : the globalization of the unconscious -- Meritocracy or master race? The origins of mental testing in the British Empire -- Square pegs and round holes : aptitude testing in the barracks and beyond -- The truth about hearts and minds : development and counterinsurgency in the postwar empire -- Psychology beyond empire : global expertise and the postcolonial mind.
At its zenith in the early twentieth century, the British Empire ruled nearly one-quarter of the world's inhabitants. As they worked to exercise power in diverse and distant cultures, British authorities relied to a surprising degree on the science of mind. Ruling Minds explores how psychology opened up new possibilities for governing the empire. From the mental testing of workers and soldiers to the use of psychoanalysis in development plans and counterinsurgency strategy, psychology provided tools for measuring and managing the minds of imperial subjects. But it also led to unintended consequences. Following researchers, missionaries, and officials to the far corners of the globe, Erik Linstrum examines how they used intelligence tests, laboratory studies, and even dream analysis to chart abilities and emotions. Psychology seemed to offer portable and standardized forms of knowledge that could be applied to people everywhere. Yet it also unsettled basic assumptions of imperial rule. Some experiments undercut the racial hierarchies that propped up British dominance. Others failed to realized the orderly transformation of colonized societies that experts promised and officials hoped for. Challenging our assumptions about scientific knowledge and empire, Linstrum shows that psychology did more to expose the limits of imperial authority than to strengthen it. -- from dust jacket.
9780674089150 0674089154
40025541462 10.4159/9780674089150 doi 40025600343
22573/ctt1c7sjjn JSTOR
2015015035
Psychology--History.--Great Britain
British--Psychological testing.
British--Psychology.
Psychology--history.
Psychological Tests--history.
PSYCHOLOGY--Reference.
HISTORY--Modern--20th Century.
British colonies.
British--Psychological testing.
British--Psychology.
Colonies--Administration.
Psychology.
Kolonialverwaltung
Psychologie
Great Britain--Colonies--Administration--History.
United Kingdom.
Great Britain.
Gro�britannien
Electronic books.
Electronic books.
History.
BF108.G7 / L56 2016
150.9171/241
2016 A-469 WM 11 FA1
Ruling minds : psychology in the British empire / Erik Linstrum. - 1 online resource (309 pages) : illustrations
Includes bibliographical references and index.
The laboratory in the field : inventing imperial psychology -- A dream dictionary for the world : the globalization of the unconscious -- Meritocracy or master race? The origins of mental testing in the British Empire -- Square pegs and round holes : aptitude testing in the barracks and beyond -- The truth about hearts and minds : development and counterinsurgency in the postwar empire -- Psychology beyond empire : global expertise and the postcolonial mind.
At its zenith in the early twentieth century, the British Empire ruled nearly one-quarter of the world's inhabitants. As they worked to exercise power in diverse and distant cultures, British authorities relied to a surprising degree on the science of mind. Ruling Minds explores how psychology opened up new possibilities for governing the empire. From the mental testing of workers and soldiers to the use of psychoanalysis in development plans and counterinsurgency strategy, psychology provided tools for measuring and managing the minds of imperial subjects. But it also led to unintended consequences. Following researchers, missionaries, and officials to the far corners of the globe, Erik Linstrum examines how they used intelligence tests, laboratory studies, and even dream analysis to chart abilities and emotions. Psychology seemed to offer portable and standardized forms of knowledge that could be applied to people everywhere. Yet it also unsettled basic assumptions of imperial rule. Some experiments undercut the racial hierarchies that propped up British dominance. Others failed to realized the orderly transformation of colonized societies that experts promised and officials hoped for. Challenging our assumptions about scientific knowledge and empire, Linstrum shows that psychology did more to expose the limits of imperial authority than to strengthen it. -- from dust jacket.
9780674089150 0674089154
40025541462 10.4159/9780674089150 doi 40025600343
22573/ctt1c7sjjn JSTOR
2015015035
Psychology--History.--Great Britain
British--Psychological testing.
British--Psychology.
Psychology--history.
Psychological Tests--history.
PSYCHOLOGY--Reference.
HISTORY--Modern--20th Century.
British colonies.
British--Psychological testing.
British--Psychology.
Colonies--Administration.
Psychology.
Kolonialverwaltung
Psychologie
Great Britain--Colonies--Administration--History.
United Kingdom.
Great Britain.
Gro�britannien
Electronic books.
Electronic books.
History.
BF108.G7 / L56 2016
150.9171/241
2016 A-469 WM 11 FA1