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Decolonising Australian Psychology: The Influences of Aboriginal Psychologists

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Decolonial Enactments in Community Psychology

Part of the book series: Community Psychology ((COMPSY))

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Abstract

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have been profoundly impacted by colonisation and continue to counter its affects by rebuilding language, regaining access to lands and living culture, and enhancing social and emotional wellbeing. The discipline of psychology has played a major role in perpetuating harm towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by utilising oppressive and culturally biased mainstream psychological approaches. However, the discipline is slowly shifting with efforts to decolonise Australian psychology. This has been aided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychologists and with the formation of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA) which will be discussed and described within this chapter. Decolonising efforts are further illustrated by the experiences of two Aboriginal Clinical Psychologists who are aligned with community psychology paradigms and members of AIPA. The first example presents decolonising strategies that recognise and address the intersect amongst trauma, oppression, and lateral violence and outlines community awareness workshops. The second example discusses the inadequacy of mainstream psychology whilst advocating for multiple modalities for collective and traditional healing. Both psychologists within in their cultural practice and collectively within AIPA aim toward the improvement of social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Throughout this paper, the term ‘Aboriginal’ will respectfully be used to refer to the diversity of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations and peoples. The term ‘Indigenous’ will also be used in some contexts, particularly when referring to the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association, in international contexts and when referenced as such.

  2. 2.

    This refers to the 1967 Australian referendum in which constitutional change meant that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could be included in the census. This allowed the Australian Federal Government to make laws in relation to Aboriginal peoples.

  3. 3.

    The Native Title Act (1993) governs the rights of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia who have gained back rights to their traditional lands (see AHRC, 2020).

  4. 4.

    NAIDOC is a widely used acronym meaning National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee. It is a week of celebrations held annually across Australia to celebrate, history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal people and encouraged to be celebrated by all Australians.

  5. 5.

    With respect, the deceased activist’s name has not been used, as permission was not gained from his family in time. Details of the activist can be found in Dudgeon et al. (2014a) where permission was sought.

  6. 6.

    Throughout this paper, the term ‘Aboriginal’ will respectfully be used to refer to the diversity of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations and peoples, unless otherwise specified.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SAHMRI Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Yvonne Clark

  2. Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Tanja Hirvonen

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  1. Yvonne Clark
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  2. Tanja Hirvonen
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Correspondence to Yvonne Clark .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Shose Kessi

  2. Institute for Social and Health Sciences, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Shahnaaz Suffla

  3. Institute for Social and Health Sciences, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Mohamed Seedat

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Clark, Y., Hirvonen, T. (2022). Decolonising Australian Psychology: The Influences of Aboriginal Psychologists. In: Kessi, S., Suffla, S., Seedat, M. (eds) Decolonial Enactments in Community Psychology. Community Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75201-9_11

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