Related Papers
Decolonizing Psychological Science: Introduction to the Special Thematic Session
Tugce Kurtis, Glenn Adams, Luis Gómez-Ordóñez
Despite unprecedented access to information and diffusion of knowledge across the globe, the bulk of work in mainstream psychological science still reflects and promotes the interests of a privileged minority of people in affluent centers of the modern global order. Compared to other social science disciplines, there are few critical voices who reflect on the Euro-American colonial character of psychological science, particularly its relationship to ongoing processes of domination that facilitate growth for a privileged minority but undermine sustainability for the global majority. Moved by mounting concerns about ongoing forms of multiple oppression (including racialized violence, economic injustice, unsustainable over-development, and ecological damage), we proposed a special thematic section and issued a call for papers devoted to the topic of "decolonizing psychological science". In this introduction to the special section, we first discuss two perspectives—liberation psychology and cultural psychology—that have informed our approach to the topic. We then discuss manifestations of coloniality in psychological science and describe three approaches to decolonization—indigenization, accompaniment, and denaturalization—that emerge from contributions to the special section. We conclude with an invitation to readers to submit their own original contributions to an ongoing effort to create an online collection of digitally linked articles on the topic of decolonizing psychological science.
Journal of Social and Political Psychology
Decolonizing Psychological Science: Introduction to the Special Thematic Section
2015 •
Glenn Adams
Despite unprecedented access to information and diffusion of knowledge across the globe, the bulk of work in mainstream psychological science still reflects and promotes the interests of a privileged minority of people in affluent centers of the modern global order. Compared to other social science disciplines, there are few critical voices who reflect on the Euro-American colonial character of psychological science, particularly its relationship to ongoing processes of domination that facilitate growth for a privileged minority but undermine sustainability for the global majority. Moved by mounting concerns about ongoing forms of multiple oppression (including racialized violence, economic injustice, unsustainable over-development, and ecological damage), we proposed a special thematic section and issued a call for papers devoted to the topic of "decolonizing psychological science". In this introduction to the special section, we first discuss two perspectives—liberation ...
South African Journal of Psychology
Notes on decolonizing psychology: from one Special Issue to another
2017 •
Glenn Adams
In this article, we describe a special thematic section on the topic of “Decolonizing Psychological Science” that we have edited for the Journal of Social and Political Psychology. Three approaches to decolonization were evident in contributions to the ongoing project. In the indigenous resistance approach, researchers draw upon local knowledge to modify “standard” practice and produce psychologies that are more responsive to local realities. In the accompaniment approach, “global expert” researchers from hegemonic centers travel to marginalized communities to work alongside local inhabitants in struggles for social justice. In the denaturalization approach, researchers draw upon local knowledge and experience of marginalized communities as an epistemic resource to resist the coloniality of knowledge and being in hegemonic psychology. The task of decolonization requires more than the production of local psychologies attuned to the conditions of particular communities. In addition, i...
Frontiers in Psychology
Decolonising the psychology curriculum: a perspective
Sana Sajid
Decolonisation seeks to reverse the impact of colonisation on minoritised groups. Governments, healthcare institutions, criminal justice and education systems have procedures and protocols deep-rooted in colonisation and operate through a western lens. Decolonisation reaches beyond increasing inclusivity and aims to re-establish history through the experiences and perspective of those most affected. As with many disciplines, core theories, practices and interventions within Psychology, an ethnocentric viewpoint has been used, continuously reinstated through its curriculum. With awareness around diversification and increase in varying demands, it is important that the Psychology curriculum evolves to suit the needs of its’ users. Many recommendations for decolonising the curriculum are trivial surface changes. These involve including required bibliography from diverse minority authors within the modules syllabuses or organising a one-off lecture or workshop from a minority ethnic spe...
Psychology and Developing Societies
Decolonising Psychology: Reflections on Continuing Myopia
2023 •
Polli Hagenaars
‘To be able to step over our shadows, we need the light of many others’. This thematic issue examines how psychology has been influenced by colonisation processes and how these influences find reflection in people’s minds. Various contributors in this thematic issue address decolonising psychology with the larger objective of improving relations between people and also between people and the environment. They specifically examine the process and consequences of decolonising psychology in and for ‘developing’ societies. The process of decolonising psychology is expected to enhance our understanding of the influence of colonisation on minds and human behaviour; it aims at repairing the ill effects of the past and present unequal power relationships that resulted from colonisation. Such knowledge needs to be followed by actions to liberate and make minds free. There is a growing awareness of the influence of colonial history on epistemology, research, methods, assessment and practices of psychology. The effects of colonisation are very much present in societies even today and are not only reflected in global economic relations and climate change, but also in social relationships, minds and attitudes, and in the transgenerational transfer of traumas. An important question that is raised is whether contemporary psychology confirms the status quo, or it is ready to remedy the effects of past and present unequal and destructive power relations. This issue on decolonisation explores the current trends in psychology, especially from the perspective of the Majority World which is the term now in use for the ‘developing societies’.
American Journal of Community Psychology
Engaging the Struggle for Decolonial Approaches to Teaching Community Psychology
2018 •
Nuria Ciofalo
Psychological Studies
Beyond Decolonization: Moving Towards a Viable Alternative
Girishwar Misra
Decolonization of the Mind a Strategy to Improve Native American Student Achievement
2018 •
Hannah Kivalahula-Uddin
South African Journal of Psychology
Storylines in psychology: rewriting or rehearsing colonial scripts? Response to ‘Frantz Fanon and the decolonial turn in psychology: From modern/colonial methods to the decolonial attitude’ by Nelson Maldonado-Torres
2017 •
Ursula Lau
