Jaap van Ginneken University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Jaap van Ginneken was born in Hilversum, the Netherlands, in 1943. During the 1970s, he was based in Paris as a correspondent and roving reporter on ‘third world’ affairs, publishing books on China and Vietnam that were translated into other languages. After that, he returned to his original field as a social psychologist, specialized in mass media, public perceptions and collective behavior. He was long a part-time associate professor at the Amsterdam University Communication Department and International School. Books in English include Crowds, psychology and politics (1992), Understanding global news (1998), Collective behavior and public opinion (2003), Mass movements (2007), and Screening difference (2007). He is currently a professional speaker, based near Nice in France.