Global Perspectives on Cultural Politics in Indigenous Psychology

This book provides a groundbreaking examination of the interplay between culture and politics in Indigenous psychology, a field that challenges the perceived universality of Western psychological norms by emphasizing the cultural specificity of local communities. By assembling leading experts and innovative research from across five continents, the book addresses the under-theorized relationship between culture and politics, two central pillars of Indigenous psychology.

Contributors to this volume employ a cultural politics approach, an interdisciplinary lens that encourages critical inquiry into everyday practices and structural issues such as globalization, racial relations, and power dynamics. The book delves into the mechanisms of colonization, the ongoing tension between contextualists and globalists in psychological science, and the role of indigenous resistance in shaping future applications of Indigenous psychology. It concludes with a critical reflection on the achievements and limitations of the Indigenous psychology movement to date.

This volume is an essential resource for scholars and practitioners of Indigenous psychology, as well as those engaged in sociology, anthropology, political science, Marxism, and the philosophy of science. It invites readers to rethink the foundational elements of psychology through the lens of cultural and political dynamics.

Zed Zhipeng Gao is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Health and Gender at The American University of Paris, France. Dr. Gao’s research takes an interdisciplinary approach to exploring cultural identity, racial relations, communism, and transnationalism. He has guest edited two special issues of the journals Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science and Theory & Psychology, focusing on Indigenous psychology and deglobalization. His research has been recognized through awards in international psychology, the history of psychology, and qualitative inquiry.

Maria I. Medved is Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology, Health and Gender at The American University of Paris, France. Prior, she worked at the University of Manitoba, Canada. She is also a licensed psychologist. Her research deals with how, in various cultures, narratives of risk and resilience are told by individuals with health problems (neurological, physical, psychological). Much of her work involves Canadian First Nation communities.