Abstract
Peace psychology is sensitive to geopolitical context. Given that much of the development of peace psychology has been in the global North, holding the Symposium on the Contributions of Psychology to Peace in South Africa provided an opportunity to explore different paradigms underlying approaches in different spaces and places. Systems of knowledge making (epistemologies) and of the way we construct reality (ontologies) are not only culturally bound in time and space, but are also embedded in power relations. We recognise that it is something of an over-simplification to cluster the diverse forms of peace psychology under the simple polarities of North and South as the reality is more complex and nuanced. However, the dichotomy provides a dialectical starting point. After exploring the basic categories of North and South, we analyse some of the underlying reasons for differences in approach, assess the current situation, and discuss some of the issues facing peace psychology as an emerging discipline as it moves forward. Extant tensions include differences in language, different epistemological approaches to research and data collection, educational systems, and the effect of economic differences in limiting opportunities for participation. Our aim as peace psychologists should be to develop an inclusive approach that acknowledges and incorporates an ecology of knowledge. Awareness of the privileged position occupied by many psychologists is important so that there can be an openness to different epistemologies. The chapter emphasises the importance of self-knowledge as an integral part of peace psychology. Moreover, critical reflection should be accorded a genuine space within our discipline. Finally, we will discuss visions for the future of peace psychology in a rapidly changing world.
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Notes
- 1.
These are evidenced in advertisements of psychology courses and career paths. For example, http://psychcentral.com/diff.htm; http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/studyassist/mytertiarystudyoptions/providers-that-offer-commonwealth-assistance/pages/heproviderprofile?title=The%20Cairnmillar%20Institute%20School%20of%20Psychology%20Counselling%20and%20Psychotherapy.
- 2.
Neoliberalism is generally understood as “a system of ideas circulated by a network of right-wing intellectuals, or an economic system mutation resulting from crises of profitability in capitalism. Both interpretations prioritize the global North” (Connell & Dados, 2014, p. 117).
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Law, S.F., Bretherton, D. (2017). The Imbalance Between Knowledge Paradigms of North and South: Implications for Peace Psychology. In: Seedat, M., Suffla, S., Christie, D. (eds) Enlarging the Scope of Peace Psychology. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45289-0_2
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