1566 - ARE COLONISED MINDS THE SILENT CONDUITS FOR FRAGMENTED INDIGENOUS IDENTITIES SEEN THROUGH GENERATIONS AMONG THE YOUTH?

Session: P_D11S001 - Poster Session 1 - Division 11
AUTHORS:
Binte Qasim Khadija (Khadija Binte Qasim ~ Islamabad ~ Pakistan) , Qasim Khan Shukria (Pakistan Psychological Association ~ Islamabad ~ Pakistan)
Abstract text:
This report highlights and evaluates the concept of mind colonization, emphasizing how educational systems, socio-political structures, and social media perpetuate colonized thinking that continues to form more colonized minds. This cycle contributes to internalized ethnic oppression, intra-nation division, identity loss, widening class differences, and the prevalence of mental illnesses. The focus is placed particularly on post-colonial developing countries such as India, Africa, and the Philippines from a global perspective, and Pakistan from a national one, where post-colonialism's complex legacy has had lasting effects, especially among the EA aged 13-26.
The report supports the view that colonized minds play a decisive role in fracturing indigenous identities, leading to the devaluation of communities. Evidence of this process is reflected in the identity defects, poor mental health, and rapid deformation of indigenous cultures and languages that are apparent in many post-colonial nations. This study not only broadened the horizon of understanding about how mind colonization manifests across different races and contexts but also reinforced the need to consider context-specific approaches. Retrospectively, instead of rejecting the process of change altogether, it becomes necessary to balance its adoption through natural transition. By doing so, societies may avail new opportunities while still preserving their values and traditions, ultimately safeguarding humanity's cultural and intellectual diversity.