Liberation psychology is fundamentally concerned with understanding the effects of dominant cultural narratives and power structures on the psychological experience of oppressed and marginalized people.

Liberation psychology aims to understand, amplify, and incorporate in their theory and practice the voices and knowledge of those “others” most affected by the kinds of oppression identified above.

Liberation psychology goes beyond individual therapy, or even group therapeutic approaches, towards community based interventions, that attempt to give language and expression to suppressed, or unexpressed issues of social injustice, for the sake of ethical social change.

Liberation psychology is critical of the individualistic and reductionistic biases and research practices of mainstream psychology, opting for a more collaborative, dialogical and culturally humble research paradigm.

Liberation psychology rejects the mainstream assertion that psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists and psychotherapists etc. (aka members of the “psy” complex) as exclusively qualified to conduct research and deliver therapeutic interventions, and seeks to empower and include other types of “culture workers” in this regard, including artists, activists, spiritual teachers and community leaders etc.

Over all.

This book offers a pretty good overview of Liberation Psychology. But it gets a little tedious at times, and I think it could be clearer and tighter in execution. I’m looking forward to future additions to clarify and promote the field.

4/5 stars ⭐️