We had another great biannual meeting of the whole IPHA membership yesterday. Thanks to everyone who took part.
As well as reviewing the work of the group over the last six months – especially progress on our fabulous 100 Objects campaign – we talked about getting started on our next big project.
The four options we discussed were:
- A 2nd journal special issue
- A book on the start of physiotherapy
- An online course on the history of the profession and/or historical research methods
But the favourite option by far was for us to work on a Physiotherapy History Reader.
This would be a book made up of 1-2,00 word commentaries by physiotherapists on book chapters and articles that had had a profound effect on the profession. Think of Berta Bobath’s writing on abnormal postural reflexes, Geoff Maitland on vertebral manipulation, or Brenda Savage on electrotherapy. We would reprint the chapters and use the commentary would discuss how the ideas were radical and transformative, and what relevance they hold for physiotherapy today. We could have commentaries from people all over the world, young and old, and everyone from everyday practitioners to international experts.
We’d love to know if you, our members, like this idea and have any suggestions for how you’d like to see it develop. Please use the comments box below if you have any thoughts.
You can find a recording of the discussion by clicking here. Password = e?XXD7N@ (leave no gaps when you paste it in).
And thanks again for your support of the IPHA.
Posted by Dave Nicholls
Dave Nicholls is a Professor of Critical Physiotherapy in the School of Clinical Sciences at AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand. He is a physiotherapist, lecturer, researcher and writer, with a passion for critical thinking in and around the physical therapies. David is the founder of the Critical Physiotherapy Network, an organisation that promotes the use of cultural studies, education, history, philosophy, sociology, and a range of other disciplines in the study of the profession’s past, present and future. He is also co-founder and chair of the International Physiotherapy History Association Executive, and founding Executive member of the Environmental Physiotherapy Association. David’s own research work focuses on the philosophy, sociology, and critical history of physiotherapy, and considers how physiotherapy might need to adapt to the changing economy of health care in the 21st century. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, many as first author. His first book – The End of Physiotherapy (Routledge, 2017) – was the first book-length critical history of the profession. A second sole-authored book – Physiotherapy Otherwise – was published in early 2022 as a free pdf/eBook (available from https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/tuwhera-open-monographs/catalog/book/8). He was co-editor on the first collection of critical physiotherapy writings – Manipulating Practices (Cappelen Damm, 2018) – and was the lead editor for the follow-up – Mobilising Knowledge (Routledge, 2020). He is also very active on social media, writing weekly on contemporary critical physiotherapy issues (criticalphysio.substack.com). He has taught in physiotherapy programmes in the UK and New Zealand for over 30 years and has presented his work around the world.
Val Hopwood – UK for acupuncture in physiotherapy, she can be contacted through the AACP of the CSP – manager@aacp.uk.com
Brian Mulligan – contact Jill McDowell – jillianmmcdowell@gmail.com