Women Stories in Chilean Psychology: The Contributions of Lola Hoffmann, Héliettè Saint Jean and Vera Kardonsky

The role of women in history has been highlighted and questioned from the perspective of feminist movements. The objective of the study was to investigate and scrutinize the past for women in the history of Chilean psychology, to reinstall them—and their experiences—in the historical discourse and collective memory. Using practical and theoretical criteria, 3 women who served in the psychological field in Chile in the second half of the last century were selected: Lola Hoffmann, Heliette Saint Jean and Vera Kardonsky. Secondary sources and 11 interviews with their colleagues and relatives were employed to produce narratives in the style of life stories. The historiographical narratives of these 3 pioneers illustrate their experiences and the mechanisms of exclusion and forms of discrimination of women in civil society and professional space. The article identifies some of their strengths and individual development and resistance strategies, re-thinking the past that gives the authors of memory and is undeniably alive in their present and their own experiences as women psychologists.