Liberation psychology and pragmatic solidarity: North–South collaborations through the Ignacio Martín-Baró fund.

Abstract

This article revisits some of the contributions of Jesuit scholar and social psychologist Ignacio Martin-Baro to liberation psychology, community mental health, and human rights, exploring ways in which his reconceptualization of trauma within contexts of gross violations of human rights can contribute to societies emerging from armed conflicts. It describes one of the legacies of Martin-Baro’s life work, that is, The Ignacio Martin-Baro Fund for Mental Health and Human Rights (hereafter, “the Fund”), presenting an overview of the Fund’s philosophy and its activities since its formation in 1990. It explores the important link between mental health and human rights, and some of the contributions of this work to postconflict transitions and peacebuilding processes. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of over 90 projects supported by the Fund between 1990 and 2014 documents indigenous psychological practices carried out by community-based “insiders” and a range of local understandings of “mental health,” suggesting the transformative potential of community-based initiatives in responding to survivors of gross violations of human rights. We argue that collaboration and pragmatic solidarity between psychologists committed to liberation and grassroots community-based mental health workers could lead to enhanced resources for the latter, and a deeper understanding of liberation psychology praxis for the former.