270 Shose Kessi
the Global North (Huygens 2009). De-ideologisation is also the uncovering
of myths about the objectivity of science and its claims to truth. Liberation
psychology seeks to intervene in the three modes of power described
earlier in this chapter, otherwise described as the political, interpersonal,
and personal (Moane 2009) through a process of critical consciousness and
social action. Similarly, black and anti-colonial feminisms speak of a
global matrix of power and the different forms of resistance to power at
different levels: hegemonic, structural, disciplinary, and interpersonal
(Collins 2000). What these orientations have in common is a focus on the
psychology of power and the psychology of the oppressed with an emphasis
on alternative modes of doing psychological research through collective
and participatory forms of social action.
These orientations to psychology provide theoretical and
methodological frameworks for intervening in unequal power relations.
Psychologists should use these tools to research and resist the
manifestation of material, symbolic, and psychological power in everyday
life. Psychological research is needed to understand the value of
redistribution projects, such as development interventions and social
welfare programs, or forms of dispute, such as service delivery protests
and land reclamation that seek to resist material power. Psychologists
should also research how symbolic power is contested through lobby
groups, such as youth movements, feminist associations, or gay and lesbian
groups who use campaigns, creative activities (such as Hip Hop), and
social media as a platform to disseminate alternative images of themselves.
Finally, psychological research should assist individuals and groups to
access strong networks of support, such as family and community
networks or partnerships and alliances with more powerful groups that can
support their interests. In doing so, individuals and groups build a self-
awareness and critical consciousness of the causes of their situation and
develop strategies for social change.
For psychology to be globally relevant and address contemporary
human problems, it will have to develop the tools to address the historical
coercive nature of slavery and colonial power and resist its material,
symbolic and psychological effects towards new forms of human relations