Decolonial Feminist Community Psychology

We present a recently published book, Decolonial Feminist Community Psychology (Springer, 2019). The edited volume critically engages with the diversity of feminist and decolonial theory to counter hegemonic Western knowledge in mainstream
community psychology. In doing so, it situates paradigms of thought and
representation that capture the lived experiences of those in the global South.
The book takes an intersectional approach towards its reshaping of
community psychology, centering African, black, postcolonial, and decolonial feminist critiques in its 1) critique of existing hegemonic Euro-American community psychology concepts, theories, and practice, 2) proposal of new feminist, indigenous, and decolonial methodological approaches, and 3) real-life examples of engagement, research, dialogue and reflexive qualitative psychology practice. The book includes an agenda for theorization and research for future practice in postcolonial contexts.

New ideas for new times: a handbook of clinical and community psychologies

The mode of community psychology and critical psychology developed in many countries has openly manifested social transformation as the ultimate goal but what is not clear is the way in which that goal is to be obtained, for so far there are few methods explicitly formulated with that task in mind. This text explores and documents practices of international community and clinical psychologies that have been developed to exist as alternative ways to challenge recent global political and economic changes and their associated mental health ideologies.
The UK and other Western countries are far from unique in this institutionalised individualistic approach. Latin America shares with these countries the dominance of individualistic mainstream deficit models (Montero & Diaz, 2007). In both Argentina and Uruguay, training at psychology schools has been mainly modelled on the clinical approach to mental disease (Saforcada et al 2007). In Cameroon there has been difficulty ‘transcending mainstream psychology’s primary focus on an individual level of analysis’ (Nsamenang et al 2007, 394). Moreover psychology in India has been characterised by significant borrowing of theories from the West and has remained largely an academic discipline where research is conducted within laboratories (Bhatia & Sethi, 2007).
The book includes a range of ground breaking, radical and liberatory clinical and critical community psychology projects that seek out and showcase radical and innovative practice wherever it may reside. Chapters do not seek to feature the ‘typically’ renowned scholars in the field (although they may); rather the focus is on the introduction of new trajectories, projects and practices which point a way forward for future students and practitioners who will be increasingly required to develop a range of innovative approaches to tackle head on the increasing prevalence of mental ill-health in the context of structural inequalities.