A psychology in our own language: Redefining psychology in an African context

Abstract

Psychology in Africa has for a long time and continues 
\nto be a contentious subject. Many scholars have pointed 
\nto the importance of acknowledging multiple forms of 
\nknowing and being in the world and understanding the 
\ncomplexities of understanding how people make meaning 
\nof their world. The urge to understand and define the 
\nnotion of being human in universalistic terms minimises 
\nand obscures the complexities of human experiences in 
\ntime, space and geolocation. This paper argues for the 
\nneed to take the role of languages (indigenous) earnestly 
\nif we are to imagine a psychology (African) that takes 
\nlocal contexts within which it is practised and taught 
\nseriously. Furthermore, we insist on the importance of 
\ndecolonising the psychology curriculum wherein what is 
\ndeemed as legitimate at the exclusion of other forms of 
\nknowing becomes challenged.