INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOANALYSIS

The International Association for the History of Psychoanalysis (Association International d'Histoire de la Psychanalyse), a non-profit organization, was created on June 25, 1985, in Paris by Alain de Mijolla. The Association was created to provide as full an understanding as possible of the history of psychoanalysis and its founder. Its central concerns are the history of the discovery of psychoanalysis; the life of Sigmund Freud; his friends, disciples, and successors; the history of the psychoanalytic movement since its inception, including its international developments and internal divisions; the role of psychoanalysis in the history of the sciences and the intellectual life of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and its relation with general history and the political, socioeconomic, and cultural characteristics of its time.

Through international meetings held every two years in Paris, Vienna, London, Brussels, and Berlin or Barcelona, the association has been able to promote renewed interest in the history of psychoanalysis. These meetings also led to the creation of other groups and associations devoted to the collection of archival documents and research concerning the historical evolution of psychoanalytic ideas and institutions as well as the contributions of the men and women who have, through their creativity, helped to disseminate Freudian theories.

Presentations, films, and the twice-yearly publication of the Journal de l'A.I.H.P. in French and English has given the Association a reputation for accuracy and openness in historical research, and independence from any allegiance to psychoanalytic schools or groups. The Association is open to all professionals and amateurs of history, whether or not they are psychoanalysts. In 2001 the Association received the Mary S. Sigourney award in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the field of psychoanalysis.

Alain de Mijolla

Bibliography

Mijolla, Alain de. (1996). Psychoanalysts and their history. International Psychoanalysis: The Newsletter of the IPA, 5 (1), 25-28.