Bank Windhoek Socratic Forum

At the closing meeting of the Bank Windhoek Socratic Forum for 2017, the South African psychologist, Hélène Opperman Lewis, dealt with the topic of Humiliation as a pathway to violence that appears as the first chapter in her recent publication, Apartheid – Britain’s Bastard Child. The lecture and in particular the discussion thereafter motivated the committee of the Forum to dedicate 2018 to alternative psychological responses in dealing with the experience of humiliation.

Recognising that humiliation need not necessarily lead to violence and looking forward to inviting a number of prominent individuals who have deliberately opted otherwise, the Forum has again invited Ms. Opperman Lewis to provide its members with the required psychological background for the year’s meetings.

The opening meeting of the Bank Windhoek Socratic Forum will therefore take place on 27 March 2018 at 18:00 with Hélène Opperman Lewis introducing the topic of Humiliation as a pathway to either self-destruction or constructive self-determination.

Please also note that due to a constant increase in the number of people attending, the Forum’s meetings will in future be held at the Safari Hotel Namib 2 venue.

Herewith a photograph and short CV of Hélène, as well as an abstract of her presentation and a link to recommended reading on the topic. Hélène Opperman Lewis was born and bred in Namibia and for the past 27 years practiced as a Counselling Psychologist in Cape Town and Swellendam.

While feeling ashamed and guilt-ridden as an Afrikaner in the mid 1990s and after the shocking and devastating South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission revelations, she became determined to understand why Afrikaners created Apartheid in 1948.

Triggered by certain observations amongst young Afrikaners who were furious about their parents and great-parents past decisions, Hélène in 2001 enrolled for a doctoral thesis with the title of The Development of a Social Conscience amongst Afrikaners at the then University of Port Elizabeth.

It was while doing research on Kohlberg and Gilligan’s theories on the development of moral reasoning, that she discovered the field of psycho-history as the study of the ‘psychological Why of history in large groups and nations’. What seemed to be a never-ending repeat of history became understandable from a psycho-historical perspective portraying this phenomenon as one of ‘unremitted humiliation followed by trauma that is passed on to future generations in an effort to heal the parents’ fragmented selves’. Also known as ‘trans-generational trauma’, this phenomenon gets repeated over and over again, as yesterday’s humiliated becomes tomorrows humiliators and thus maintains a cycle of revenge and conflict. As a universal phenomenon and true for every group, it has become the universal human story.

Having discovered psycho-history through her research, Hélène wrote to Lloyd DeMause, the then president of the Psycho-history Association in New York, who invited her to attend the next annual International Psychohistory convention in New York. After having completed a course in Psychogenics through the Institute, she realised that there was much more to moral reasoning than engaging in a narrow theoretical spat with the subject.

However, by the end of 2001, she decided to abandon her doctoral studies and to rather research the 300-year history of the Afrikaners against a psycho-historical background that, she felt, would enlighten her initial question of social conscience.

Encouraged by American Psycho-analyst and Psycho-historian, Dr David Lotto, Hélène decided to write a book and share the disastrous historical consequences of humiliation and the loss followed by trans-generational trauma with fellow South Africans.

This decision was in 2001 followed by an article on Racism as projection: how early childhood can help it take root in the Rhodes Journalism Review that became important reading at the International Conference on Racism held in Durban in the same year.

In 2002, she was again invited to New York to present papers on the Anglo-Boer War and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the annual Psycho-history convention.

In 2011 and 2012, Hélène attended the annual International Dignity & Humiliation conferences in respectively New York and Oslo, in April 2013 convened the annual International Dignity & Humiliation conference in Stellenbosch and in June 2015 presented a paper on Humiliation & Trauma in Rwanda.

With her research eventually spanning 15 years, Apartheid – Britain’s Bastard Child finally saw the light in late 2016 and completes the journey so far.

Humiliation as a pathway to either self-destruction or constructive self-determination.

The Norwegian Philosopher, Arne Naess (1912-2009), coined the term deep ecology, emphasizing the inter-connectedness and inter-relatedness of all things in the complex web of the natural world. In his book The Ecology of Wisdom he remarks: ‘Most people want to flourish and realize themselves in harmony with other beings and cultures. Not at the expense and suffering of the other’.

However, despite what most people want, many societies seem to get stuck. Or worse, regress into hate politics.

Can we change that? In principle, the answer is yes. But first we need to be prepared to be guided by an awareness of our personal ignorance and limitations. That we are right about some things, but blind about other.

We need to rediscover our common values as a people and engage in an active process of mourning that leads to identification reparation instead of vengeful identity politics.

We need to develop an understanding of what we have in common in our diverse cultures. Only then will we be able to work together with civility and create a national culture of peace and social justice - a vision both broad and long-range.

Can we look hate straight in the face; and move beyond hate politics? Can we learn to do the right thing? To rebuilt instead of destroy. To learn that the Great is produced in the small - one step at a time. That we do have choices.

In the end, we are what we make of what has been made of us. That life bends towards justice - no matter how long it takes.

The Revised Edition of Hélène Opperman Lewis’s book, Apartheid – Britain’s Bastard Child, will be for sale at N$ 300,00 at the event.