Friday 24 July 15:40
- 17:10
Hall: 06 - Arco
Chair and Presenter:
Waitoki Moana
Co-Chair:
Johnson-Jennings Michelle
Discussant:
Rowe Luke
Division: Division 11: Political Psychology
This international symposium brings together Indigenous psychologists and scholars from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Turtle Island (Canada and the United States), the Pacific, and Asia to position Indigenous psychology as a distinct and vital discipline. It seeks to transform the structural and cultural conditions that continue to harm Indigenous peoples. Building on the foundational contributions of Distinguished Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith and Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson—whose work in Indigenous research and decolonising methodologies has reshaped how knowledge is produced and validated—this symposium highlights the leadership of Indigenous psychologists in driving systemic change across professional domains. These include:
• Reforming regulatory frameworks to incorporate Indigenous definitions of ethics, competence, and care
• Designing culturally-grounded training programmes and qualifications
• Advancing Indigenous research methodologies rooted in sovereignty, community voice, and place-based knowledge systems
Framed as a human rights imperative, the decolonisation of psychology is both urgent and necessary. Decolonial practice challenges the dominance of Western psychological traditions that are grounded in settler-colonial and white normative ideologies while drawing engaging in restorative practice. Drawing on research and practice, presenters will share Indigenous-led solutions that prioritise life promotion, land-based healing, and the restoration of mauri (life force). Across diverse contexts, Indigenous psychologists are implementing culturally grounded frameworks that affirm Indigenous strengths, identities, and worldviews.
Two core themes underpin the symposium: resistance to the racism embedded in psychology, and global Indigenous solidarity. Presenters will also explore the significance of movements such as land back and Indigenous ecologies of love as essential to decolonisation—reconnecting communities to language, land, cultural identity, and healing.
