Toward a decolonial-liberation orientation for psychological practice: Humanization, praxis, and the African wisdom of Sankofa

Abstract

Inspired by applications of decolonial and liberation psychologies shared by authors in the American Psychologist special issue "Practicing Decolonial and Liberation Psychologies," implications for a decolonial-liberation orientation are explored. The African wisdom of Sankofa ("go back and get it") is presented as an Indigenous cultural foundation that grounds the orientation in the interconnectedness of past (origins/ancestors), present (current lived experience/community), and future (possibilities/descendants). Centered in the overarching tenet of humanization, a decolonial-liberation orientation for psychological practice operates from the premise that, due to the deleterious impacts of coloniality and oppression on human experience at multiple socioecological levels of analysis, decolonizing and liberatory processes and practices are necessary for global rehumanization and healing, optimal development, transformative change, and positive health. The authors discuss decolonial-liberation psychology praxis as cycles of experience-reflection-action that characterize the activity of the orientation. Using Bryant's (2024) trauma recovery framework, the diverse practices described in this special issue are highlighted as expressions of decolonial-liberation praxis. Recent steps taken by the American Psychological Association that are consistent with decoloniality are described. The authors conclude by offering a preliminary set of principles for decolonial-liberation psychology praxis that integrate core themes from the special issue articles with current scholarship. The authors invite psychologists (and psychology) to engage in decolonizing and liberatory processes and practices in the service of the American Psychological Association's stated mission to benefit society, improve lives, and positively impact social issues. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).