The International Society for Dialogical Science

Since the early 1990s there has been a growing interest in the study of the dialogical self stimulated by scientific developments in the broader areas of self and dialogue. The study of dialogical processes is of unprecedented importance in an era in which dialogical relationships, between and within people, are at the heart of living together in a globalizing world community. This consideration has led researchers to establish an organization with the aim of facilitating communication on an international basis. Against this background the International Society for Dialogical Science was founded in June 2002. The Society was formally constituted under Dutch law in June 2002 and established at the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Objectives

The objectives of the Society are:

(a) The construction and further development of dialogical self theory and other theories which deal directly with the relationship between self and dialogue.
  

(b) The development of scientific methods for assessment, promotion and evaluation of dialogical processes in connection to the development of the self.
  

(c) The stimulation and facilitation of interaction between researchers and practitioners who are interested in the facilitation of dialogical processes in society and between societies and cultures in a globalizing world.
  

(d) Bringing together theories, methods, research and practice from different psychological subdisciplines and related disciplines which deal with the topics mentioned under a and b. The following subdisciplines and disciplines are considered to be particularly relevant to this goal: personality psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, psychogerontology, psychology of culture & religion, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, personnel psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, brain sciences, humanities, social anthropology, sociology, philosophy, history, theology, and art.
  

(e) International cooperation in the areas as described under a, b and c and between representatives from the subdisciplines and discplines mentioned under d.
  

(f) Communication about and exchange of information concerning planned and current research.

In the service of these objectives, the Society organizes regular conferences, symposia, and workshops, publishes a newsletter and, depending on the interest of researchers, will publish a journal.

Executive Committee

The executive committee includes the following members:

• John Barresi, Dalhousie University, Canada
• Giancarlo Dimaggio, III Centro di Psicoterapia Cognitiva, Roma, Italy
• Alan Fogel, University of Utah, USA
• Hubert Hermans (president), Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• Vincent Hevern, Le Moyne College, USA
• Ingrid Josephs, University of Hagen, Germany
• Ivana Marková, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK
• Dan McAdams, Northwestern University, USA
• Robert Neimeyer, University of Memphis, USA
• Piotr Oleś, Catholic University of Lublin, Poland
• Henderikus J. Stam, University of Calgary, Canada
• Jaan Valsiner, Clark University, USA
• Leni Verhofstadt-Denève, Ghent University, Belgium

International Conferences

The organization of international conferences is one of the aims of the Society. The First International Conference on the Dialogical Self (ICDS-1) was organized by the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, in June 2000. Participants from 15 countries presented 80 contributions. The Second International Conference on the Dialogical Self (ICDS-2) was organized by Ghent University, Belgium, in October 2002. Participants from 21 countries proposed 102 contributions. The Third International Conference on the Dialogical Self (ICDS-3) was organized by the Warsaw School of Social Psychology and the Catholic University of Lublin in August, 2004. Approximately 170 participants from 30 countries attended the TICDS and made 163 contributions. The Fourth International Conference (ICDS-4) was held June 1-3, 2006 at the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. The Fifth International Conference (ICDS-5) will be held August 26-29, 2008 at Queens College, Cambridge University, United Kingdom.

Following this pattern, the ISDS proposes to organize an international conference every second year in different countries. Each conferences is combined with pre- and post-conference workshops, training courses and other activities.

Publications

International Journal for Dialogical Science The ISDS publishes a refereed, electronic journal, International Journal of Dialogical Science. Acceptance and publication of a paper or commentary in the journal automatically leads to membership of the ISDS. This policy has the advantage that membership is directly dependent on the scientific and professional interest and qualities of the person who submits a manuscript. Another advantage is that there is no obligation to pay any dues. In this way the journal maintains an open character with a simultaneous guarantee of the quality of the papers by peer-reviewed procedures. (Posted 9/22/04; revised 4/4/06)

The society also stimulates publications on the topics of self and dialogue in existing journals. Examples are the following publications: Special issue on the dialogical self in CULTURE & PSYCHOLOGY, September 2001, with a focus on self and culture Special issue on the dialogical self in THEORY & PSYCHOLOGY, April 2002, with a focus on theoretical contributions from a diversity of (sub)disciplines: developmental psychology, psychopathology, psychotherapy, personality psychology, cultural psychology, brain sciences, and psychoanalysis. Special issue on the dialogical self in JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTIVIST PSYCHOLOGY, spring 2003, with a focus on psychotherapy. Special issue on the dialogical self in IDENTITY: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY AND RESEARCH, Fall (October), 2004 with a focus on the self within the environments of mass communications and computer media.

Membership in the Society.

Membership of the Society is open to persons meeting the following criteria:

(1) Possession of an appropriate university degree, or, at least completion of the appropriate coursework for such a degree;

(2) Serving as either a researcher or practitioner in one of the requisite fields allied with Dialogical Self theory such as psychology, philosophy, etc. (see Objectives: Item (d) above);

(3) Service to the Society by means of at least one of these mechanisms: (a) acceptance of an article or publishing an invited article or commentary in the IJDS, (b) serving as an editor for IJDS, (c) serving on the Scientific Committee for international conferences, (d) serving on the Executive Board of the Society, or (e) other forms of service as accepted by the Executive Board. Membership in the society is permanent.

Individuals interested in membership in the ISDS should contact: Prof. Dr. Hubert J. M. Hermans, Bosweg 18, 6571 CD Berg en Dal, The Netherlands. E-mail: HHermans@psych.ru.nl

Prospective members may contact the ISDS President to express an interest in joining ISDS:

Prof. Dr. Hubert J. M. Hermans
Editor: International Journal for Dialogical Science
Bosweg 18
6571 CD Berg en Dal
The Netherlands.

E-mail: HHermans@psych.ru.nl