Pan-African Psychologies – serie

This book addresses the need to radically transform societies plagued by racism. It places prominence on persistent racialized violence in the lives of Black Americans as influential in how Black people in the U.S. and abroad perceive themselves as Black in juxtaposition to their perceptions of White people and other People of Color. An absence of understanding of the often-masked role of violence in the lives of Black people increases the likelihood of reproducing it. The author offers a reformulation of racial identity theory to examine the construction of Manichaeism in people and societies, and how meaningful engagement that confronts the violence is vital to psychological development, though this engagement also is not without dire risks.

This book addresses the need to radically transform societies plagued by racism. It places prominence on persistent racialized violence in the lives of Black Americans as influential in how Black people in the U.S. and abroad perceive themselves as Black in juxtaposition to their perceptions of White people and other People of Color. An absence of understanding of the often-masked role of violence in the lives of Black people increases the likelihood of reproducing it. The author offers a reformulation of racial identity theory to examine the construction of Manichaeism in people and societies, and how meaningful engagement that confronts the violence is vital to psychological development, though this engagement also is not without dire risks.

This book explores feminine archetypes and mythological figures in African and European traditions with an underlying goal of describing the foundations of social status for women. The author provides a rich corpus of mythology and tales to illustrate aspects of female and mother-daughter relationships. Diop analyzes the symbolic aspects of maternity and femininity, describing the social meaning of the matrix, breasts, and breastfeeding. A retrospective of female characters in African literature brings an interesting approach to explore the figures of femininity and maternity in society.  After an extensive analysis of African mythology and tales, the author proposes a way to integrate them in the clinical psychotherapy as a projective material. The analysis of clinical cases offers an example of how this material can be used in therapy with women from African descent.

This book explores feminine archetypes and mythological figures in African and European traditions with an underlying goal of describing the foundations of social status for women. The author provides a rich corpus of mythology and tales to illustrate aspects of female and mother-daughter relationships. Diop analyzes the symbolic aspects of maternity and femininity, describing the social meaning of the matrix, breasts, and breastfeeding. A retrospective of female characters in African literature brings an interesting approach to explore the figures of femininity and maternity in society.  After an extensive analysis of African mythology and tales, the author proposes a way to integrate them in the clinical psychotherapy as a projective material. The analysis of clinical cases offers an example of how this material can be used in therapy with women from African descent.

This book explores the potential of Pan-African thought in contributing to advancing psychological research, theory and practice. Euro/American mainstream psychology has historically served the interests of a dominant western paradigm. Contemporary trends in psychological work have emerged as a direct result of the impact of violent histories of slavery, genocide and colonisation. Hence, this book proposes that psychology, particularly in its social forms, as a discipline centered on the relationship between mind and society, is well-placed to produce the critical knowledge and tools for imagining and promoting a just and equitable world.

This book explores the potential of Pan-African thought in contributing to advancing psychological research, theory and practice. Euro/American mainstream psychology has historically served the interests of a dominant western paradigm. Contemporary trends in psychological work have emerged as a direct result of the impact of violent histories of slavery, genocide and colonisation. Hence, this book proposes that psychology, particularly in its social forms, as a discipline centered on the relationship between mind and society, is well-placed to produce the critical knowledge and tools for imagining and promoting a just and equitable world.

This book draws on a unique theoretical framework informed by clinical case studies, Fanonian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, and decolonial feminism, to examine the concept of adornment in African cultures. The book discusses the construction of aesthetic feminine ideals and the evolution of such ideals within the history of colonization, decolonization and globalization. Through the analysis of adornments including accessories, hairstyle, clothes and fabric, the author demonstrates how they can reflect social status, and also addresses its symbolic function in rituals. At the level of the individual, it draws on clinical case studies to examine the Lacanian theory of adornment and masquerade of femininity, and the extent to which this echoes ambivalent attitudes towards women in society at large. In doing so it provides a nuanced analysis which reveals how body adornment can be a paradoxical demonstration of both strength and weakness. Building on the author’s previous work in this area, this book offers an important contribution to current debates in psychoanalysis, cultural studies, critical race theory and decolonial feminism.

This book draws on a unique theoretical framework informed by clinical case studies, Fanonian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, and decolonial feminism, to examine the concept of adornment in African cultures. The book discusses the construction of aesthetic feminine ideals and the evolution of such ideals within the history of colonization, decolonization and globalization. Through the analysis of adornments including accessories, hairstyle, clothes and fabric, the author demonstrates how they can reflect social status, and also addresses its symbolic function in rituals. At the level of the individual, it draws on clinical case studies to examine the Lacanian theory of adornment and masquerade of femininity, and the extent to which this echoes ambivalent attitudes towards women in society at large. In doing so it provides a nuanced analysis which reveals how body adornment can be a paradoxical demonstration of both strength and weakness. Building on the author’s previous work in this area, this book offers an important contribution to current debates in psychoanalysis, cultural studies, critical race theory and decolonial feminism.