There is increasing global recognition of the need to decolonise knowledge systems, including psychology. The call to decolonize academic and professional disciplines however, has not escaped the clutches of Eurocentrism which typically presents Western models, experts and institutions as the standard that the Majority World needs to emulate, and which wittingly and unwittingly perpetuate colonial power structures. Indeed, Adams et al (2015) note that in comparison to other social sciences, psychology has offered fewer critical perspectives that examine its Euro-American colonial roots, especially with respect to how it contributes to systems of power that benefit a few but undermine sustainability for citizens in the global majority. There has been inadequate discourse on decolonising psychological science from Majority World and non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies, but this is slowly changing with research emerging in the past 10 years reflecting the perspective of Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, India, China, Phillipines, East Africa, Latin America and to a lesser extent in the Caribbean.
The imperative for decolonizing psychology and its application for Majority World societies, lies in its potential to challenge the Eurocentric bias in which Western intellectual traditions are presented as ideals and which neglects the perspectives of indigenous cultures. This enduring and often default bias perpetuates the proliferation and application of theories and practices that may not be relevant for diverse contexts and may not be effective for other cultures. This has implications for all aspects of psychological science: research, theory, curricula and practice. This work examines how decolonial ideas are interpreted, challenged, and applied by practitioners and scholars in Majority world contexts. The proposed structure moves from theory to practice, culminating in strategic recommendations for embedding decolonial approaches and practices across education, policy, and clinical settings.