Ivana Marková FBA (2 October 1938 – 1 December 2024) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

-born British social psychologist known for her work on

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

and the constructs of

communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

. Markova died on 1 December 2024, at the age of 86.

Education and Academic career

She was born in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

and studied philosophy and psychology at

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

in Prague. In 1967 she moved to the United Kingdom. She initially worked as Research Fellow at the Industrial Training Research Unit,

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

(1968–70) before moving to the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals; ) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by a royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built within the walled Airth ...

, from which she retired in 2003 as an emeritus professor. She then took up the post of visiting professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science and Research Associate in the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Sciences at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. She was also a Senior Member of Wolfson College, Cambridge. She served on various national and international committees, e.g. she was a member of the Chief Scientist's Health Services Research Committee, Scottish Home and Health Department, a chairperson of the Social Psychology Section of the

British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. History It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the org ...

, President of Section J (Psychology) of the

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a Charitable organization, charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Scienc ...

, a member of the Scientific Committee of the Academia Istropolitana, a newly established Centre of Advanced Studies in Central Europe,

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Research

Her main theoretical research interests were the

ontology Ontology is the philosophical study of existence, being. It is traditionally understood as the subdiscipline of metaphysics focused on the most general features of reality. As one of the most fundamental concepts, being encompasses all of realit ...

and

epistemology Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowle ...

of theory in

social psychology Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...

, and the interdependence between social thinking, dialogue and

semiotics Semiotics ( ) is the systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning. In semiotics, a sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feelings to the sign's interpreter. Semiosis is a ...

. Empirical research concerned

social representations Social representations are a system of values, ideas, metaphors, beliefs, and practices that serve to establish social order, orient participants and enable communication among the members of groups and communities. Social representation theory is ...

of democracy, individualism and responsibility in post communist Europe and the study of dialogues between people with impaired speech and their partners. In the 1990s she became increasingly interested in developing a dialogical approach to the study of

Awards

* 2019: Honorary doctorate: University of Neuchâtel * 1994: Honorary doctorate: Linköping University * 1999 - Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

* 1997 - Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

* Fellow of the

Personal life

She was the mother of Professor Ivana S. Marková, a distinguished psychiatrist in her own right.

Death

Ivana Marková died on 01 December 2024 and was memorialized by the

where she had served as a Visiting Professor.

Books

* ''The Making of a Dialogical Theory: Social Representations and Communication''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023. * ''The Dialogical Mind: Common Sense and Ethics.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. * ''Trust and distrust: Socio-cultural perspectives'' (edited with A. Gillespie). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, 2007. * ''Dialogue in focus groups: exploring socially shared knowledge'' (with P. Linell & M. Grossen). London: Equinox, 2007. * ''Making of Modern Social Psychology: The Hidden Story of How an International Social Science Was Created'' (with

Serge Moscovici Serge Moscovici (; June 14, 1925 – November 15, 2014) born Srul Herş Moscovici, was a Romanian-born French social psychologist, director of the Laboratoire Européen de Psychologie Sociale ("European Laboratory of Social Psychology"), which ...

). Cambridge and Oxford: Polity Press, 2006. * ''Trust and democratic transition in post-communist Europe'' (edited). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. * ''Dialogicality and Social Representations''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. * ''Representations of health, illness and handicap'' (edited with R. Farr}. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic, 1995. * ''Mutualities in dialogue'' (edited with C.F. Graumann & K. Foppa}. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. * ''Asymmetries in dialogue'' (edited with K. Foppa}. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1991. * ''Dynamics of dialogue'' (edited with K. Foppa). Prentice-Hall, 1990. * ''Paradigms, thought and language''. London: Wiley, 1982. * ''Social context of language'' (edited). Chichester: Wiley, 1978.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Markova, Ivana 1938 births British psychologists British social psychologists British women psychologists Czech psychologists Czech women psychologists Fellows of the British Academy Charles University alumni Academics of the University of Stirling Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Czechoslovak emigrants to the United Kingdom 2024 deaths