Book Launch: Absent Minds by Dr Madeleine Pownall in Leeds

We're delighted to have Dr Madeleine Pownall joining us for the launch of her book Absent Minds at 7pm on the 7th of May!

Absent Minds:

According to one article, eighty per cent of psychology undergraduate students are women. The same article reports that eighty per cent of clinical psychologists are also women.

But when we think about the history of psychology, who springs to mind? Jung, Freud, Pavlov, Piaget. Where are the women?

What of Mary Whiton Calkins, who was never awarded a doctorate because she was a woman despite her contributions shaping contemporary psychology; or Mamie Phipps Clark, whose research went on to inform the court case that ruled racial segregation illegal in the US; and power couple Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson who set up the international journal Feminism and Psychology and petitioned for the right for same-sex couples to marry in England.

Absent Minds rightly seals women's place in the history of psychology. Dr Madeleine Pownall's entertaining and empowering narrative will uncover lost legacies, documenting how women shaped the discipline and provided alternative, creative and more critical ways of thinking about the human experience.

This event will be informal and will not have our standard organised seating. Some refreshments may be provided. There will be a short talk by both Dr Pownall and her editor Holly Purdham. There will also be a chance to ask Dr Pownall questions and to get your copy of Absent Minds signed. Copies of Absent Minds will be available to purchase on the night.