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Professor John Cromby

The University of Nottingham, Sociology and Social policy, Honorary Professor of Mental Health and Psychology

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I am interested in the character of experience: in particular, how experience gets jointly constituted at the intersection of social influence and the body. This, it seems to me, should be the very stuff of psychology.

I have examined the intersection between the body and social influence by exploring how feelings shape, and are shaped by, settings, activities and technologies; by engaging with topics such as feeling, emotion, "depression" and paranoia; and by experimenting with methods of jointly analysing textual data and embodied activity.

I have worked in drug addiction, mental health and learning disability settings, and at the Universities of Nottingham, Bradford and Loughborough.
Phone: 0115 841 3993
Address: School of Sociology and Social Policy
University of Nottingham
University Park, Nottingham
NG7 2RD
England UK

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Abel Alejandro Gallardo Olcay

Wilfrid Laurier University

Walden University

University of Hull

Warren J. J . Blumenfeld

University of Massachusetts Amherst

University of Belgrade

Saginaw Valley State University

University of Brighton

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Books by Professor John Cromby

Ten Suggestions for Critical Teaching in Psychology.pdf

Teaching Critical Psychology: international perspectives, 2018

FEELING BODIES: embodying psychology (whole text)

The full pre-publication text of a 2015 book on feelings. Drawing on the work of Suzanne Langer, ... more The full pre-publication text of a 2015 book on feelings. Drawing on the work of Suzanne Langer, amongst other theorists, the book sets out a concept of feeling; explores its relationship with language and social relations; shows how analyses that include feeling can illuminate understandings of key topics related to health and illness (health belief; interactions in chronic fatigue; and madness). The book concludes by positioning feeling in relation to prominent critiques of the 'affective turn' in the social sciences.

The Power Threat Meaning Framework

Published by the British Psychological Society, this document sets outs a coherent alternative to... more

Describes the notion of feeling in John Shotter's social constructionism and explores its similar... more

Psychology as Practical Biopolitics

Shows how psychological research can be used to further neoliberal ideology through a detailed ex... more

From Disorder to Experience

'Psychology, Mental Health and Distress', 2013

The opening chapter of a 2013 book.

Introducing the New Biosocial Landscape (Palgrave Handbook of Biology and Society, editd by Meloni, Cromby, Fitzgerald and Lloyd 2018, London/New York, pp. 3-22)

by Maurizio Meloni, Professor John Cromby, and Stephanie Lloyd

"This comprehensive handbook synthesizes the often-fractured relationship between the study of bi... more "This comprehensive handbook synthesizes the often-fractured relationship between the study of biology and the study of society. Bringing together a compelling array of interdisciplinary contributions, the authors demonstrate how nuanced attention to both the biological and social sciences opens up novel perspectives upon some of the most significant sociological, anthropological, philosophical and biological questions of our era.

The six sections cover topics ranging from genomics and epigenetics, to neuroscience and psychology to social epidemiology and medicine. The authors collaboratively present state-of-the-art research and perspectives in some of the most intriguing areas of what can be called biosocial and biocultural approaches, demonstrating how quickly we are moving beyond the acrimonious debates that characterized the border between biology and society for most of the twentieth century.

This landmark volume will be an extremely valuable resource for scholars and practitioners in all areas of the social and biological sciences".

Papers by Professor John Cromby

England’s Dreaming? UK critical psychology

Don’t jump ship! New approaches in teaching mental health to undergraduates

We hope that the articles in this special issue have convinced you of the need to move beyond dia... more We hope that the articles in this special issue have convinced you of the need to move beyond diagnosis. Peter Campbell and Rufus May have outlined some alternative approaches in practice with service users; in this final article our emphasis is on another good place to start in effecting change, namely our students. Mental health teaching on undergraduate psychology courses is often structured according to psychiatric diagnoses and categorisations (Cromby et al., 2007). Here, we question the value of this approach to teaching and propose an alternative to the tendency for psychology educators to ‘jump ship’ by giving psychiatric rather than consistently psychological explanations of mental distress. We discuss recent theoretical and empirical advances within psychology; review some of the policy developments which might bear upon mental health teaching; and offer pointers to a range of resources which teachers might find helpful.

Feeling Bodies: Analysing the Unspeakability of Death

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Hacking (2000) observed that merely claiming that a phenomenon is socially constructed is of rela... more Hacking (2000) observed that merely claiming that a phenomenon is socially constructed is of relatively little value. More is to be gained, he suggested, by making nuanced claims that identify precisely what is being constructed and which processes are involved. In this chapter we discuss how the meanings of death are socially constructed in language: narratives and discourses arrange its elements in socio-culturally legitimated ways, and regimes of discourse locate death within webs of visibility and power. Simultaneously, we extend this constructionist analysis by showing how the meanings of death are also socially co-constituted through the feeling body. We explain how feelings can be conceptualised, and describe how their dynamics endow speech with an unspeakable flux of meaning that gives it sense and purpose. In contemporary Western cultures death, too, is somewhat unspeakable, and we suggest that a focus on feelings helps render this unspeakability more sensible by showing how its felt elements get enacted in social relations and personal experience. Finally, we illustrate this by briefly presenting some empirical, qualitative research that explores feelings associated with early bereavement.

Joint Action: Essays in honour of John Shotter brings together a cross-disciplinary group of fift... more Joint Action: Essays in honour of John Shotter brings together a cross-disciplinary group of fifteen respected international scholars to explain the relevance of John Shotter’s work to emerging concerns in twenty-first century social science.Shotter’s work extends over forty years and continues to challenge conventional scientific thinking across a range of topics. The disciplines and practices that Shotter’s work has informed are well established throughout the English-speaking world. This is the first publication to examine the importance of his influence in contemporary social sciences and it includes authoritative discussions on topics such as social constructionism, democratic practice, organisational change, the affective turn and human relations. The geographical diversity and disciplinary breadth of scholarly contributions imbues the book with international scope and reach.Joint Action presents a contemporary reflection on Shotter’s work that demonstrates its influence across a range of substantive topics and practical endeavours and within disciplines including management studies and philosophy as well as psychology. As such, it will appeal to researchers and postgraduate students of social sciences and related disciplines, as well as to those who have heard of Shotter’s work and want to know more about its utility and value in relation to their own research or practice.

The contemporary making and unmaking of Elaine Scarry’s The Body in Pain

Subjectivity, Sep 26, 2016

2015 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of Elaine Scarry's The body in pain: The maki... more 2015 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of Elaine Scarry's The body in pain: The making and unmaking of the world (1985). Immediately recognised as a persuasive and original exploration of embodied experience (Goldsmith, 1985; Kolenda, 1988), this study was subsequently described as 'classic' (Zhang, 2014) and 'monumental' (Bourke, 2011). At the close of the 20th century, no less than Edward Said (1999, cited in Douglass and Wilderson, 2013) stated that ''[t]here is no one even remotely like Elaine Scarry for the depth of originality of her thinking in the humanities today''. However, responses to Scarry's text have definitely not always been enthusiastic; critics have indicated her inaccuracies, omissions and methodological and argumentative peculiarity (for example, Singer in 1986 criticised Scarry for ignoring the standards of argument) while others, as Harpham (2001) points out, have been bluntly dismissive. Harpham's (2001) review probably represents one of the most sustained critiques of Scarry's oeuvre thus far. For him The body in pain represents 'one of the most stunning academic debuts in memory' and the obvious foundation piece for the rest of her published work (2001, p. 204). Harpham (2001, p. 218) notes how 'Scarry has a facility that might be called uncanny for detecting order in domains that appear to be disorderly, spontaneous, ungovernable, or mindless'. However, he also points out how the book is puzzling and lacking, for example, in its consideration of referentiality, negation, imagination, and self-reflexivity. At moments his review even takes on a distinctly psychoanalytic tone as he seeks to understand what drives Scarry's approach. Harpham (2001, p. 219) notes that what may provoke this 'most structural of thinkers' is a profound concern with the possibility of disappearance, indeterminacy and traumatic exposure, an

Theory & Psychology, Jun 1, 2009

Both psychology and psychiatry are dominated by individualistic accounts of paranoia (and, indeed... more Both psychology and psychiatry are dominated by individualistic accounts of paranoia (and, indeed, other forms of distress). As a corrective to these, this paper provides a social account of paranoia grounded in a minimal notion of embodied subjectivity constituted from the interpenetration of feelings, perception and discourse. Paranoia is conceptualized as a mode or tendency within embodied subjectivity, co-constituted in the dialectical associations between subjectivity and relational, social and material influences. Relevant psychiatric and psychological literature is briefly reviewed; relational, social structural and material influences upon paranoia are described; and some implications of this account for research and intervention are highlighted.

Introducing the New Biosocial Landscape

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2018

For many decades, the study of society and the study of biology have been estranged from one anot... more For many decades, the study of society and the study of biology have been estranged from one another. This Handbook provides the first comprehensive overview of the extent to which, and how quickly, we are moving beyond the charged debates that characterized much of the biological and social thought of the twentieth century. In this Handbook we show how nuanced attention to both the biological and the social sciences opens up novel perspectives on some of the most significant sociological, anthropological, philosophical, and biological questions of our era. Our central assertion is that the life sciences, broadly conceived, are currently moving toward a more social view of biological processes, just as the social sciences are beginning to reincorporate notions of the biological body into their investigations.

Paranoia: contested and contextualised

PCCS Books, 2012

The Palgrave Handbook of Biology and Society

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2018

Reflections on responses to the Power Threat Meaning Framework one year on

Clinical Psychology Forum

The project group reflects on the responses to the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) one year... more

Palgrave Macmillan eBooks, Jul 22, 2014

Affect—or feeling (after Leys)

Theory & Psychology, Jun 2, 2016

In recent years the 'affective turn' has permeated the arts, humanities, social sciences, and psy... more In recent years the 'affective turn' has permeated the arts, humanities, social sciences, and psychology, but like any influential academic movement has not escaped critique. We outline and agree in general terms with the critique by Leys (2011b), which emphasises the influence of the basic emotion paradigm; the dualisms that accompany its deployment; and concerns regarding intentionality and meaning. We then propose an alternate approach to affect and feeling, derived from the philosophies of Whitehead and Langer; demonstrate how this avoids the endorsement of cognitivism to which Leys critique succumbs; illustrate the strengths of this approach with respect to analyses of former U.S. President Reagan; and highlight two strengths of affect theory which are compatible with it. We conclude that our approach closes the intentionality gap that Leys identifies whilst retaining a fruitful emphasis upon the affective realm.

Methodological pluralism in qualitative research: Reflections on a meta–study

QMiP Bulletin, 2014

A short report is provided of a meta-study of methodological pluralism in qualitative research: i... more A short report is provided of a meta-study of methodological pluralism in qualitative research: i.e. of the use of two or more qualitative methods to analyse the same data set. Ten eligible papers were identified and assessed. Their contents are described with respect to theory, methods and findings, and their possible implications discussed in relation to a series of wider debates in qualitative research more generally.

Ten Suggestions for Critical Teaching in Psychology.pdf

Teaching Critical Psychology: international perspectives, 2018

FEELING BODIES: embodying psychology (whole text)

The full pre-publication text of a 2015 book on feelings. Drawing on the work of Suzanne Langer, ... more The full pre-publication text of a 2015 book on feelings. Drawing on the work of Suzanne Langer, amongst other theorists, the book sets out a concept of feeling; explores its relationship with language and social relations; shows how analyses that include feeling can illuminate understandings of key topics related to health and illness (health belief; interactions in chronic fatigue; and madness). The book concludes by positioning feeling in relation to prominent critiques of the 'affective turn' in the social sciences.

The Power Threat Meaning Framework

Published by the British Psychological Society, this document sets outs a coherent alternative to... more

Describes the notion of feeling in John Shotter's social constructionism and explores its similar... more

Psychology as Practical Biopolitics

Shows how psychological research can be used to further neoliberal ideology through a detailed ex... more

From Disorder to Experience

'Psychology, Mental Health and Distress', 2013

The opening chapter of a 2013 book.

Introducing the New Biosocial Landscape (Palgrave Handbook of Biology and Society, editd by Meloni, Cromby, Fitzgerald and Lloyd 2018, London/New York, pp. 3-22)

by Maurizio Meloni, Professor John Cromby, and Stephanie Lloyd

"This comprehensive handbook synthesizes the often-fractured relationship between the study of bi... more "This comprehensive handbook synthesizes the often-fractured relationship between the study of biology and the study of society. Bringing together a compelling array of interdisciplinary contributions, the authors demonstrate how nuanced attention to both the biological and social sciences opens up novel perspectives upon some of the most significant sociological, anthropological, philosophical and biological questions of our era.

The six sections cover topics ranging from genomics and epigenetics, to neuroscience and psychology to social epidemiology and medicine. The authors collaboratively present state-of-the-art research and perspectives in some of the most intriguing areas of what can be called biosocial and biocultural approaches, demonstrating how quickly we are moving beyond the acrimonious debates that characterized the border between biology and society for most of the twentieth century.

This landmark volume will be an extremely valuable resource for scholars and practitioners in all areas of the social and biological sciences".

England’s Dreaming? UK critical psychology

Don’t jump ship! New approaches in teaching mental health to undergraduates

We hope that the articles in this special issue have convinced you of the need to move beyond dia... more We hope that the articles in this special issue have convinced you of the need to move beyond diagnosis. Peter Campbell and Rufus May have outlined some alternative approaches in practice with service users; in this final article our emphasis is on another good place to start in effecting change, namely our students. Mental health teaching on undergraduate psychology courses is often structured according to psychiatric diagnoses and categorisations (Cromby et al., 2007). Here, we question the value of this approach to teaching and propose an alternative to the tendency for psychology educators to ‘jump ship’ by giving psychiatric rather than consistently psychological explanations of mental distress. We discuss recent theoretical and empirical advances within psychology; review some of the policy developments which might bear upon mental health teaching; and offer pointers to a range of resources which teachers might find helpful.

Feeling Bodies: Analysing the Unspeakability of Death

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Hacking (2000) observed that merely claiming that a phenomenon is socially constructed is of rela... more Hacking (2000) observed that merely claiming that a phenomenon is socially constructed is of relatively little value. More is to be gained, he suggested, by making nuanced claims that identify precisely what is being constructed and which processes are involved. In this chapter we discuss how the meanings of death are socially constructed in language: narratives and discourses arrange its elements in socio-culturally legitimated ways, and regimes of discourse locate death within webs of visibility and power. Simultaneously, we extend this constructionist analysis by showing how the meanings of death are also socially co-constituted through the feeling body. We explain how feelings can be conceptualised, and describe how their dynamics endow speech with an unspeakable flux of meaning that gives it sense and purpose. In contemporary Western cultures death, too, is somewhat unspeakable, and we suggest that a focus on feelings helps render this unspeakability more sensible by showing how its felt elements get enacted in social relations and personal experience. Finally, we illustrate this by briefly presenting some empirical, qualitative research that explores feelings associated with early bereavement.

Joint Action: Essays in honour of John Shotter brings together a cross-disciplinary group of fift... more Joint Action: Essays in honour of John Shotter brings together a cross-disciplinary group of fifteen respected international scholars to explain the relevance of John Shotter’s work to emerging concerns in twenty-first century social science.Shotter’s work extends over forty years and continues to challenge conventional scientific thinking across a range of topics. The disciplines and practices that Shotter’s work has informed are well established throughout the English-speaking world. This is the first publication to examine the importance of his influence in contemporary social sciences and it includes authoritative discussions on topics such as social constructionism, democratic practice, organisational change, the affective turn and human relations. The geographical diversity and disciplinary breadth of scholarly contributions imbues the book with international scope and reach.Joint Action presents a contemporary reflection on Shotter’s work that demonstrates its influence across a range of substantive topics and practical endeavours and within disciplines including management studies and philosophy as well as psychology. As such, it will appeal to researchers and postgraduate students of social sciences and related disciplines, as well as to those who have heard of Shotter’s work and want to know more about its utility and value in relation to their own research or practice.

The contemporary making and unmaking of Elaine Scarry’s The Body in Pain

Subjectivity, Sep 26, 2016

2015 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of Elaine Scarry's The body in pain: The maki... more 2015 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of Elaine Scarry's The body in pain: The making and unmaking of the world (1985). Immediately recognised as a persuasive and original exploration of embodied experience (Goldsmith, 1985; Kolenda, 1988), this study was subsequently described as 'classic' (Zhang, 2014) and 'monumental' (Bourke, 2011). At the close of the 20th century, no less than Edward Said (1999, cited in Douglass and Wilderson, 2013) stated that ''[t]here is no one even remotely like Elaine Scarry for the depth of originality of her thinking in the humanities today''. However, responses to Scarry's text have definitely not always been enthusiastic; critics have indicated her inaccuracies, omissions and methodological and argumentative peculiarity (for example, Singer in 1986 criticised Scarry for ignoring the standards of argument) while others, as Harpham (2001) points out, have been bluntly dismissive. Harpham's (2001) review probably represents one of the most sustained critiques of Scarry's oeuvre thus far. For him The body in pain represents 'one of the most stunning academic debuts in memory' and the obvious foundation piece for the rest of her published work (2001, p. 204). Harpham (2001, p. 218) notes how 'Scarry has a facility that might be called uncanny for detecting order in domains that appear to be disorderly, spontaneous, ungovernable, or mindless'. However, he also points out how the book is puzzling and lacking, for example, in its consideration of referentiality, negation, imagination, and self-reflexivity. At moments his review even takes on a distinctly psychoanalytic tone as he seeks to understand what drives Scarry's approach. Harpham (2001, p. 219) notes that what may provoke this 'most structural of thinkers' is a profound concern with the possibility of disappearance, indeterminacy and traumatic exposure, an

Theory & Psychology, Jun 1, 2009

Both psychology and psychiatry are dominated by individualistic accounts of paranoia (and, indeed... more Both psychology and psychiatry are dominated by individualistic accounts of paranoia (and, indeed, other forms of distress). As a corrective to these, this paper provides a social account of paranoia grounded in a minimal notion of embodied subjectivity constituted from the interpenetration of feelings, perception and discourse. Paranoia is conceptualized as a mode or tendency within embodied subjectivity, co-constituted in the dialectical associations between subjectivity and relational, social and material influences. Relevant psychiatric and psychological literature is briefly reviewed; relational, social structural and material influences upon paranoia are described; and some implications of this account for research and intervention are highlighted.

Introducing the New Biosocial Landscape

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2018

For many decades, the study of society and the study of biology have been estranged from one anot... more For many decades, the study of society and the study of biology have been estranged from one another. This Handbook provides the first comprehensive overview of the extent to which, and how quickly, we are moving beyond the charged debates that characterized much of the biological and social thought of the twentieth century. In this Handbook we show how nuanced attention to both the biological and the social sciences opens up novel perspectives on some of the most significant sociological, anthropological, philosophical, and biological questions of our era. Our central assertion is that the life sciences, broadly conceived, are currently moving toward a more social view of biological processes, just as the social sciences are beginning to reincorporate notions of the biological body into their investigations.

Paranoia: contested and contextualised

PCCS Books, 2012

The Palgrave Handbook of Biology and Society

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2018

Reflections on responses to the Power Threat Meaning Framework one year on

Clinical Psychology Forum

The project group reflects on the responses to the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) one year... more

Palgrave Macmillan eBooks, Jul 22, 2014

Affect—or feeling (after Leys)

Theory & Psychology, Jun 2, 2016

In recent years the 'affective turn' has permeated the arts, humanities, social sciences, and psy... more In recent years the 'affective turn' has permeated the arts, humanities, social sciences, and psychology, but like any influential academic movement has not escaped critique. We outline and agree in general terms with the critique by Leys (2011b), which emphasises the influence of the basic emotion paradigm; the dualisms that accompany its deployment; and concerns regarding intentionality and meaning. We then propose an alternate approach to affect and feeling, derived from the philosophies of Whitehead and Langer; demonstrate how this avoids the endorsement of cognitivism to which Leys critique succumbs; illustrate the strengths of this approach with respect to analyses of former U.S. President Reagan; and highlight two strengths of affect theory which are compatible with it. We conclude that our approach closes the intentionality gap that Leys identifies whilst retaining a fruitful emphasis upon the affective realm.

Methodological pluralism in qualitative research: Reflections on a meta–study

QMiP Bulletin, 2014

A short report is provided of a meta-study of methodological pluralism in qualitative research: i... more A short report is provided of a meta-study of methodological pluralism in qualitative research: i.e. of the use of two or more qualitative methods to analyse the same data set. Ten eligible papers were identified and assessed. Their contents are described with respect to theory, methods and findings, and their possible implications discussed in relation to a series of wider debates in qualitative research more generally.

Bodies, Representations, Situations, Practices: Qualitative Research on Affect, Emotion and Feeling

Qualitative Research in Psychology, Aug 23, 2019

Springer eBooks, 2014

Ten suggestions for critical teaching in Psychology

Teaching Critical Psychology, 2017

Arts-based methods for hallucination research

Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 2021

Introduction: Neurocognitive models of hallucinations posit theories of misattribution and defici... more Introduction: Neurocognitive models of hallucinations posit theories of misattribution and deficits in the monitoring of mental or perceptual phenomena but cannot yet account for the subjective experience of hallucinations across individuals and diagnostic categories. Arts-based research methods (ABRM) have potential for advancing research, as art depicts experiences which cognitive neuropsychiatry seeks to explain. Methods: To examine how incorporating ABRM may advance hallucination research and theories, we explore data on the lived experiences of hallucinations in psychiatric and neurological populations. We present a multiple case study of two empirical ABRM studies, which used participant-generated artwork and artist collaborations alongside interviews. Results: ABRM combined with interviews illustrated that hallucinations were infused with sensory features, characterised by embodiment, and situated within lived circumstances. These findings advance neurocognitive models of hallucinations by nuancing their multimodal nature, illustrating their embodied feelings, and exploring their content and themes. The process of generating artworks aided in disclosing difficult to discuss hallucinations, promoted participant self-reflection, and clarified multimodal details that may have been misconstrued through interview alone. ABRM were relevant and acceptable for participants and researchers. Conclusion: ABRM may contribute to the development of neurocognitive models of hallucinations by making hallucination experiences more visible, tangible, and accessible.

Meaning in the Power Threat Meaning Framework

Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 2020

The "Power Threat Meaning Framework" attempts to provide a coherent basis for conceptualizing cli... more The "Power Threat Meaning Framework" attempts to provide a coherent basis for conceptualizing clinical distress, troubled and troubling behavior in ways that avoid attributing it to unproven and hypothetical biological deficits, and that do not invoke insufficiently valid and reliable diagnostic categories. At the same time, the Framework retains a role for biology and identifies general patterns of distress. This paper describes the concept of meaning within the Framework, identifies some of its influences, and discusses its relationship to other concepts of meaning and to other aspects of the Framework.

Mapping Happiness, Managing Urban Emotions

Assembling Neoliberalism, 2017

Measuring and mapping happiness has become a popular and potentially market-shaping activity, and... more Measuring and mapping happiness has become a popular and potentially market-shaping activity, and a core governmental concern. In this chapter, we explore whether the “happiness industry” can be rightly considered as a neoliberal phenomenon. We examine happiness and well-being through the analytic of assemblage in order to focus attention on alternative and place-based approaches to happiness, which signify an alternative to dominant neoliberal framings. We compare the research approaches provided through geo-informatic analyses of urban psychophysiology, community activism associated with participatory happy cities initiatives and critical psychologists and geographers who focus in particular on interpretive accounts of emotional subjectivity. The idea of a “critical social psychological geography” is put forward as a way to provide new understandings of the political significance of happiness measurement and mapping.

The contemporary making and unmaking of Elaine Scarry’s The Body in Pain

Subjectivity, 2016

Clifford van Ommen John Cromby Jeffrey Yen 2015 marked the 30 th anniversary of the publication o... more Clifford van Ommen John Cromby Jeffrey Yen 2015 marked the 30 th anniversary of the publication of Elaine Scarry's The body in pain: The making and unmaking of the world (1985). Immediately recognised as a persuasive and original exploration of embodied experience (Goldsmith, 1985; Kolenda, 1988), this study was subsequently described as 'classic' (Zhang, 2014) and 'monumental' (Bourke, 2011). At the close of the 20 th century, no less than Edward Said (1999, cited in Douglass and Wilderson, 2013) stated that "[t]here is no one even remotely like Elaine Scarry for the depth of originality of her thinking in the humanities today". However, responses to Scarry's text have definitely not always been enthusiastic; critics have indicated her inaccuracies, omissions and methodological and argumentative peculiarity (for example, Singer in 1986 criticised Scarry for ignoring the standards of argument) while others, as Harpham (2001) points out, have been bluntly dismissive (Harpham, 2001). Harpham's (2001) review probably represents one of the most sustained loving critiques of Scarry's oeuvre thus far. For him, The Body in Pain represents 'one of the most stunning academic debuts in memory' and the obvious foundation piece for the rest of her published work (2001, p. 204). Harpham (2001, p. 218) notes how 'Scarry has a facility that might be called uncanny for detecting order in domains that appear to be disorderly, spontaneous, ungovernable, or mindless'. However he also points out how the book is puzzling and lacking, for example, in its consideration of referentiality, negation, imagination, and self-reflexivity. At moments his review even takes on a distinctly