The Interdisciplinary Circulation of “Holism”

From the Interwar Era to the 1980s

Abstract

Holism is a term charged with multiple meanings. Coined by statesman and botanist Jan Smuts in 1926, it was mainly used in academia until its public breakthrough around 1980. This article examines the interdisciplinary circulation of holism in science during its first sixty years of existence, focusing on ecology, psychology, medicine, social science, pedagogy, and philosophy. While primarily an epistemic term, holism has carried ideological and spiritual connotations that have shifted over time, from associations with totalitarianism in the interwar era to environmentalism and New Age spirituality since the 1970s. By tracing the interdisciplinary history of holism, this article maps its use in different scientific contexts, identifies its partnerand counter-terms, outlines what its appeal has consisted of and what its critics have rejected, and shows how it moved beyond the domain of academia to become part of the broader cultural vocabulary.