Sociophysics: a personal testimony

The origins of Sociophysics are discussed from a personal testimony. I trace back its history to the late 1970s. My 20 years of activities and research to establish and promote the field are reviewed. In particular, the conflicting nature of Sociophysics with the physics community is revealed from my own experience. Recent presentations of a supposed natural growth from Social Sciences are criticized. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.