Decolonizing psychology: Power, citizenship and identity

ABSTRACT I adopt a decolonizing perspective in understanding how the culture of psychology creates specific explanations about self and identity. I mainly draw on my recent research on decolonizing psychology and previous work on acculturation and identity to examine how history, whiteness, citizenship and culture shapes the field of psychology and psychanalytic conceptions of self and identity. That is, my argument is that the larger historical and cultural roots of psychology produce specific conceptions of culture in the clinical and therapeutic context. In particular: 1) I give examples of how colonialism and coloniality have shaped psychological theories; 2) I analyse post- 9/11 narratives from the Sikh diaspora to show how marginalized groups become raced and othered in the context of political crisis; 3) I provide modest suggestions for rethinking conceptions of self and identity through an antiracist perspective.