Decolonial Psychology and Dialogues of Resistance

Interweaving rich theory on dialogism, power, and resistance together with situated scenarios addressing the production of psychological knowledge, this book explores decoloniality as it interfaces with strategic fields in psychology.

Current movements in global sentiment have raised important calls for decolonial action. In this volume an international set of authors come together to critically challenge power by considering how colonial mindsets develop and are retained. Drawing on dialogism inspired by Bakhtin, Vygotsky, and other leading thinkers of dialogicality, the book focuses on dialogue and how it is tied to the ability to think in ways outside colonial mindsets. It challenges approaches that run the risk of bypassing how fundamental colonialism has become for human thinking, and incorporates visions to consider how, both conceptually and methodologically, a postcolonial or decolonial psychology can be done. In so doing, it guides readers beyond the status quo to consider a program to improve psychology, formulate a new psychological culture, and bring about discussion beyond the permanent – yet generative – tension between liberating and subordinating psychologies.

The book will be key reading for theoretical and critical psychology scholars and postgraduate students, particularly those interested in community engagement and decolonizing psychology. It will also be of interest to those engaged in research in Bakhtian studies, critical theory, and power studies.

James Cresswell is Full Professor of Psychology at Ambrose University, Canada. His research interests range from critical/decolonial psychology to cognitive science. All of it focusses on linking critical/cultural theory and community-based advocacy research. Specific content areas of research include poverty, language, immigration, sport, and technology. He serves as editor for the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology. He is a research affiliate with the Canadian Poverty Institute and is a member of the Newcomer Research Network. His work at Ambrose University involves a deep commitment to education and enhancing the student experience.

Atsushi Tajima is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Global Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan, where he has been since 2012. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, in 2006. He has published papers and books mainly on theoretical investigations of the dialogic theories of M.M. Bakhtin, with a particular focus on improving intercultural communication in school education. He has received an Outstanding Paper Award (2007) and Kido Award (2009) from the Japanese Association of Educational Psychology for his contributed papers.

Arthur Arruda Leal Ferreira is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the History of Psychology at the UNED, Spain, and Janveriana University, Colombia, and is a Full Professor at the Institute of Psychology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil. He has recently edited the following books: Governamentalidade e práticas psicológicas: a gestão pela liberdade, Para além da psicofísica: Fechner e as visões diurna e noturna, Psicologia, Tecnologia e Sociedade, A pluralidade do campo psicológico, Teoria Ator-Rede e a Psicologia, and História da Psicologia: Rumos e Percursos. He has also contributed to the books: Explicaciones en Psicología, Neoliberalism and Technoscience, and ANT Companion.