Community Psychology, Critical Theory and Community Development in Indigenous Empowerment

Abstract

In this chapter, we argue that community, liberation and peace psychology and the psychology of oppression share a common concern with issues of social exclusion, social inequality and peacebuilding. This shared concern is reflected in a commitment to developing theories and modes of practice that can address problems of structural violence and that can contribute to the creation of living conditions within which individuals and communities can realise their potential. We focus on an area of work within community psychology that is concerned with understanding and disrupting racialised oppression within the context of Indigenous and non-Indigenous partnerships for change through community cultural development. We discuss the broader theoretical framework for understanding structural violence and oppression, informed by community, liberation and peace psychology and highlight the importance of ethical engagement from a relational epistemology, as well as critical engagement with ontological matters, in seeking to advance liberation and decolonisation. We point to deconstruction as a tool for revealing dominance as well as devalued subject positions. We also highlight the role of counter narratives in change processes.