Some excerpts from Human Computer Interaction (HCI) by John M. Carroll that I considered relevant for my research:

"To a considerable extent, HCI now aggregates a collection of semi-distinct fields of research and practice in human-centered informatics. (...) HCI has produced a dramatic example of how different epistemologies and paradigms can be reconciled and integrated. (...) There is no unified concept of an HCI professional. In the 1980s, people often contrasts the cognitive science side of HCI with the software tools and user interface side of HCI. The HCI landscape is far more differentiated and complex now. (...) One of the most significant achievements of HCI is its evolving model of the integration of science and practice. Initially this model was articulated as a reciprocal relation between cognitive science and cognitive engineering. Later, it ambitiously incorporated a diverse science foundation (...) Currently, the model is incorporating design practices and research across a broad spectrum. (...) Somewhat ironically, designers were welcomed into the HCI community just in time to help remake it as a design discipline. A large part of this transformation was the creation of design disciplines that did not exist before. For example, user experience design and interaction design were not imported into HCI, but rather were among the first exports from HCI to the design world. Design is currently the facet of HCI in most rapid flux."

Why do I blog this? some interesting historical elements here about the evolution of HCI, although it's clearly partial, mostly focusing on material, communities and conferences from UK/North America and a bit of Scandinavia.