Helena Sheehan
Encyclopedia
Professor Helena Sheehan is an academic
philosopher
, historian of science
, and writer on communication studies
, politics
, and philosophical (particularly Marxist
) subjects. Sheehan teaches as a member of the Communications Department at Dublin City University
and has been a visiting professor
at the University of Cape Town
.
, Sheehan describes her childhood as Catholic
and conservative, with Sheehan's beginning her university and teaching primary school as a nun
. As result of study, became agnostic and liberal, then atheist and radical. Left convent, then church and country. Sheehan earned a Bachelor of Science
degree in 1967 from St. Joseph's University (then known as St. Joseph's College) in Philadelphia
, followed by an MA
in 1970 from Temple University
in Philadelphia. She earned a Ph.D
in 1980 from Trinity College (Dublin) in philosophythen already active in the Trinity College Dublin Communist Society.
As an historian of science, Sheehan develops the view that Marx
and Engels
shared fundamentally the same view on the philosophy of science
. A Marxist humanist
, Sheehan has written critically of Lysenkoism
and Stalin
's impact on scientific development.
Sheehan has lectured at the Humanist Association of Ireland
.
In political journals:
Pamphlets:
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
philosopher
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, historian of science
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
, and writer on communication studies
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, and philosophical (particularly Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
) subjects. Sheehan teaches as a member of the Communications Department at Dublin City University
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
and has been a visiting professor
Visiting scholar
In the world of academia, a visiting scholar or visiting academic is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university, where he or she is projected to teach , lecture , or perform research on a topic the visitor is valued for...
at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
.
Biography
Born in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Sheehan describes her childhood as Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and conservative, with Sheehan's beginning her university and teaching primary school as a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
. As result of study, became agnostic and liberal, then atheist and radical. Left convent, then church and country. Sheehan earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in 1967 from St. Joseph's University (then known as St. Joseph's College) in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, followed by an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1970 from Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in Philadelphia. She earned a Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1980 from Trinity College (Dublin) in philosophythen already active in the Trinity College Dublin Communist Society.
As an historian of science, Sheehan develops the view that Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
shared fundamentally the same view on the philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
. A Marxist humanist
Marxist humanism
Marxist humanism is a branch of Marxism that primarily focuses on Marx's earlier writings, especially the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 in which Marx espoused his theory of alienation, as opposed to his later works, which are considered to be concerned more with his structural...
, Sheehan has written critically of Lysenkoism
Lysenkoism
Lysenkoism, or Lysenko-Michurinism, also denotes the biological inheritance principle which Trofim Lysenko subscribed to and which derive from theories of the heritability of acquired characteristics, a body of biological inheritance theory which departs from Mendelism and that Lysenko named...
and Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's impact on scientific development.
Sheehan has lectured at the Humanist Association of Ireland
Humanist Association of Ireland
The Humanist Association of Ireland is an Irish organisation that was founded in 1993 to promote Humanism, which they describe as:an ethical philosophy of life, based on a concern for humanity in general, and for human individuals in particular. This view of life combines reason with compassion...
.
Books
Books by Helena Sheehan include:- The Continuing Story of Irish Television Drama: Tracking the Tiger, Four Courts Press, 2004.
- Marxism and the Philosophy of Science: A Critical History, Humanities Press, 1993.
- European Socialism: A Blind Alley or a Long and Winding Road?, MSF, 1992.
- Has the Red Flag Fallen?, Attic Press, 1989.
- Irish Television Drama: A Society and Its Stories, Radio Telefís Éireann, 1987.
Articles
In academic journals (peer-reviewed):- 'Fair City'. Journal of Irish Studies. January 2006.
- 'Grand narratives then and now: Can we still conceptualise history?' Socialism and Democracy 12, 1998.
- 'On public service broadcasting: against the tide'. Irish Communications Review 2, 1992
- 'Writing and the zeitgeist'. Irish University Review 21, 1991
In political journals:
- 'Centenary of Christopher Caudwell'. Communist Review 50, Spring 2008.
- "IRELAND: Don't forget Dublin!". GreenLeft Weekly, February 2003.
Book Reviews
- The Drama of the Science Wars: What is the Plot?' Public Understanding of Science, April 2001.
- 'Ecological Roots: Which Go Deepest?' Monthly ReviewMonthly ReviewMonthly Review is an independent Marxist journal published 11 times per year in New York City.-History:The publication was founded by Harvard University economics instructor Paul Sweezy, who became the first editor...
, October 2000.
Miscellaneous
Introductions:- Bukharin, NikolaiNikolai BukharinNikolai Ivanovich Bukharin , was a Russian Marxist, Bolshevik revolutionary, and Soviet politician. He was a member of the Politburo and Central Committee , chairman of the Communist International , and the editor in chief of Pravda , the journal Bolshevik , Izvestia , and the Great Soviet...
. Philosophical Arabesques. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2005.
Pamphlets:
- 'Communism and the Emancipation of Women'. (Communist Party of Ireland, 1976).
Quotes
- On Marxism:
'Whatever Marxism is, it is systemic analysis and historical perspective. It is a totalising (not totalised) philosophy of history. It is the only mode of thought able to give a coherent, comprehensive, and credible account of the complexity of contemporary experience. It is the only coherent analysis of the capitalist mode of production
Capitalist mode of productionIn Marx's critique of political economy, the capitalist mode of production is the production system of capitalist societies, which began in Europe in the 16th century, grew rapidly in Western Europe from the end of the 18th century, and later extended to most of the world...
and how it structurally generates, not only the maximum expropriation of surplus value, but maximum dissolution of social bonds, involving decreasing access to totality and increasing atomisation of thought processes. It is the only credible analysis of an alternative mode of production, proposing socialism, not only as a radical restructuring of the relations of production, but as a fundamental transformation of patterns of thought and forms of social organisation.' - On Lysenkoism:
"What went wrong was that the proper procedures for coming to terms with such complex issues were short-circuited by grasping for easy slogans and simplistic solutions and imposing them by administrative fiat."
External links
- Sheehan's Home Page at the website of Dublin City University
- "Lysenko and Lysenkoism"extract from Marxism and the Philosophy of Science: A Critical History at the Marxists Internet ArchiveMarxists Internet ArchiveMarxists Internet Archive is a volunteer based non-profit organization that maintains a multi-lingual Internet archive of Marxist writers and other similar authors...