PSYb2995 Decoloniality in Psychology

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Bc. Simona Hendrychová (lecturer)
Mgr. Martin Veselý (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Bc. Simona Hendrychová
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
PSYb1020 Personality Psychology
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 48/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives (in Czech)
This participatory course critically examines the foundations of psychology through a decolonial lens. Students will explore how Western academic traditions have shaped psychological theory and practice, while investigating diverse ways of knowing from non-Western perspectives. The aim is to cultivate critical awareness of psychology’s (cultural) assumptions, enabling students to think deeply about its form and role in different societies. The course combines theoretical frameworks with practical applications in Czech helping professions and civically engaged people. Through a blend of online and offline learning, students will engage with various materials including academic texts, multimedia resources, and art forms.
Learning outcomes (in Czech)
The course emphasizes hands-on experience through outcomes that may include community projects, public events, written project or online contributions encouraging students to apply decolonial thinking to real-world local contexts. The course is designed to be interactive and collaborative, with both synchronous and asynchronous components to accommodate different learning styles and needs.
Syllabus (in Czech)
  1. What is colonialism? How is it relevant in current psychology (in Czechia)? + Project intro [in person] 
  2. Colonial praxis, thinking and knowledge (epistemicide) + Reflexivity and positionality [online] 
  3. Guest lecture 1 – TBA: Skye Chirape/Francesca Esposito [online] 
  4. Western academia revision: (Neo)colonialism in psychological theories and praxis [online] 
  5. Project(s) meeting 1: Brainstorming, inspiration session, topic and form of the project(s), target group(s) [in person] 
  6. Decolonial and post-colonial theories; Indigenous psychologies [online] 
  7. Project(s) meeting 2: Choosing a project, negotiating goals, ethical considerations, designing steps, issuing tasks [in person] 
  8. Guest lecture 2 – TBA: Shose Kessi/Haile Matutu [online] 
  9. Project(s) meeting 3: Updates on tasks and further planning [online] 
  10. Decolonial research methodologies [online] 
  11. Project(s) meeting 4: Updates on tasks and finalization [online] 
  12. Project(s) realization [in person] 
  13. Debriefing/Feedback/Celebration [online] 
Literature
    recommended literature
  • BHATIA, Sunil. Decolonizing psychology : globalization, social justice, and Indian youth identities. New York: Oxford university press, 2018, xxxv, 323. ISBN 9780199964727. info
  • LENETTE, Caroline. Participatory action research : ethics and decolonization. New York: Oxford university press, 2022, xiv, 139. ISBN 9780197644966. info
  • MULLAN, Jennifer. Decolonizing therapy : oppression, historical trauma, and politicizing your practice. New York: W. W. Norton & company, 2023, xvi, 458. ISBN 9781324019169. info
  • SMITH, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing methodologies : research and indigenous peoples. 2nd ed. London: Zed Books, 2012, xv, 240. ISBN 9781848139503. info
  • Handbook of decolonial community psychology. Edited by Christopher C. Sonn - Jesica Siham Fernández - James Ferreira Moura J. Cham: Springer, 2024, xxix, 546. ISBN 9783031670343. info
  • RATELE, Kopano. The world looks like this from here : thoughts on african psychology. First published. Johannesburg: Wits university press, 2019, xv, 228. ISBN 9781776143900. info
Teaching methods (in Czech)
The course is mostly taught online. Group discussion, active participatory learning, guest lectures, readings, lectures, project realization.
Assessment methods (in Czech)

Active attendance: 3x12 = 36 points; Project concept: 25 points; Project realization: 34 points; Feedback questionnaire: 5 points 

36 + 25 + 34 + 5 = 100 points 
60 points are required for successfully completing the course. 

Project(s): 

  • Doable, ethical, participatory, social justice oriented 
  • Examples: discussion, movie screening, article, reading circle, informatory material, analysis of a phenomenon/event/person, materials review, online campaign, revision of curriculum, exhibition, human library, photo-essay, fieldwork, community event etc. 
  • Multiple projects, depends on the preferences of the group of students: possibility of multiple solo/duo/trio project and bigger group(s) - may or may not be interconnected 
  • Evaluation criteria: ethics considerations, defined aspects of decoloniality, defined goals, cooperation (in group and with other subjects), originality, inspiration by existing projects 
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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