Acknowledgements

I could not have undertaken this book without the help of a bevy of people who have generously shared their knowledge, memories, and insights with me. Some of them have their words included in these pages, others have provided crucial background to help me make sense of what happened and why. Firstly there are those people who took part in the experiments themselves, the now-adult ‘boys’ who gave me permission to share their stories. I would particularly like to thank Doug and June Griset from Schenectady, Bill and Cheri Snipes from Oklahoma City and John and Deb Reich from Phoenix, Arizona for their hospitality and kindness. I’m sorry that OJ Harvey, who lit the spark and encouraged me to pursue this project, never got to see the final result. Thanks to Professor Herbert Kelman, who generously shared his notes and recollections and provided missing pieces.

I could not have embarked on this project without access to Carolyn and Muzafer Sherif’s papers and permission from the family to use material from the archives. Special thanks to Sue, Joan, and Ann Sherif and to Professor David Baker, Lizette Royer Barton, and the rest of the staff at The Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology (CCHP) at the University of Akron.

Professor Joseph Trimble went out of his way to lend a hand and tapped his extensive networks numerous times to give me leads, insights, and answers. For research into events in Turkey, I appreciate the work of Dr Sertan Batur, who was unstinting in sharing his ideas and research and patiently answered my numerous questions. I am grateful to Ersin Asliturk for sharing his thoughts on Sherif’s theoretical and political orientation, and to Dr M Murat Yurtbilir from the Australian National University, who provided me with historical detail, and Dr Adrian Jones from LaTrobe University, who checked my Turkish research for accuracy.

For background research on Sherif’s research, John Reich, Cath and Jerry Felknor, Dr Virginia O’Leary, Cindy White, Professor Michael Lauderdale, Professor Don Granberg, Phil Fox, Hilda Carper and Jean Miller, Professor Dirk Eitzen, and Professor Howard Becker.

Archivist Tuğba Akbörk from Ödemiş Municipality City Museum and Archives gave me terrific insights into Sherif’s home town, and archival staff at the University of Exeter were very helpful in giving me access to William Golding’s manuscripts and papers.

I could not have begun this book without the careful and inspiring scholarship of the historians of psychology whose work I have drawn on. I was very fortunate that my archival research in Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States was supported through the University of Melbourne’s Felix Meyer and Lizette Bentwich scholarships. Huge thanks to Drs Kevin Brophy and Rod Buchanan for their encouragement and support, and I’m indebted to the City of Melbourne’s Creative Spaces program, who provide me with an office for my research and writing.

Then there were my travel companions. I have Gene Perry (no relation) to thank for a memorable road trip from Tulsa to Robbers Cave, and Faith Wilcox, who helped me find Figsbury Ring, and my cousins, the Shultzes, who provided much-needed relief and companionship on my American visits. Janey Runci has been a wise and constant friend and fellow traveller on the writing journey who has made me laugh and kept me grounded.

I can’t really thank my family enough, particularly Dan and Georgia, for putting up with my absences and absent-mindedness with such good humour. I’m fortunate in having Clare Forster from Curtis Brown as my agent and Scribe as my publisher. A huge thanks to Julia Carlomagno, whose faith in this project and insightful suggestions improved it no end.