“It’s all discursive!” Crossing boundaries and crossing words with Rom Harré

• Published in: Universitas psychologica Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 755 - 784
• Main Authors: Belli, Simone, Aceros, Juan C, Harré, Rom
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bogotá Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana 2015; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
• Subjects: Harre, Rom; PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; Social psychology; construcciónismo social; ethogenics; Rom Harré; análisis del discurso; positioning theory; discourse analysis; teoría de posicionamiento; social constructionism; etogénica
• DOI: 10.11144/Javeriana.upsy14-2.iadc
• ISSN: 1657-9267

Rom Harré is one of the most important figures in academia of recent decades. Born in New Zealand he developed most of his career in Oxford. Influenced by authors such as John Austin, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Lev Vygotsky, Harré has produced his own and innovative approach to humanities and social sciences topics. His writings on philosophy of science have been focused on destabilizing the central doctrines of logical empiricism and positivism. However, his work has been not only influential in philosophy but also in other fields. This paper introduces his main contributions to psychology in general and social psychology in particular. It presents an interview with Rom Harré which outlines an approach to the author and his contributions to the social psychology crisis. Some key concepts in social sciences and in Rom's own work are also addressed, and research lines he advises to follow in the next decade are examined. The interview depicts Rom Harré as a scholar who crosses the boundaries between different disciplines and places.