What is it about?
This article by Ayurdhi Dhar and James Dillon offers a practical roadmap for teaching introductory psychology through a decolonial lens. The authors argue that most psychology courses still center Western, Euro-American knowledge as universal, while overlooking voices, histories, and experiences from the Global South and marginalized communities. Rather than simply “adding more diverse examples,” they invite teachers to rethink how knowledge itself is produced, whose perspectives become authoritative, and who is left out. Dhar and Dillon emphasize that a decolonial approach is not about rejecting Western psychology, but about interrogating it alongside other ways of knowing. They suggest asking students guiding questions such as: Who designed this theory? Under what social and political conditions? Who benefits from it, and who may be harmed or misrepresented? Through this process, students learn to see psychology as historically shaped, contested, and deeply tied to power. The article offers concrete teaching strategies: designing syllabi that pair classic Western readings with Indigenous, feminist, and Global South scholarship; creating assignments that encourage reflection rather than rote memorization; and using classroom discussions to surface discomfort, curiosity, and critique in constructive ways. The authors also discuss the emotional labor involved, reminding instructors to move slowly, stay reflective, and build trust with students. Ultimately, Dhar and Dillon show that decolonial teaching is both ethical and pedagogically powerful. It helps students question what they have taken for granted, fosters humility, and opens space for more inclusive, contextually grounded understandings of psychology — not as a fixed truth, but as a living, evolving field.
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Why is it important?
This article is important because it challenges the assumption that psychology is neutral, universal, and complete as it is usually taught. Dhar and Dillon show how dominant Western perspectives have shaped what counts as “knowledge,” often silencing other histories, experiences, and ways of understanding the mind. By offering concrete strategies for teaching through a decolonial lens, the article moves beyond critique and into practice. It helps educators and students ask harder questions: Who created this theory? Whose interests does it serve? What alternatives exist? In doing so, it invites humility, curiosity, and ethical responsibility. The piece ultimately expands psychology’s scope, making the classroom more critical, context-aware, and inclusive — and better equipped to speak to a diverse world.
Perspectives
I feel this paper is important for two big reasons: 1) As an immigrant who had studied and then taught in the US, the lives of non-WEIRD people were glaringly absent from the discipline of Psychology, and I repeatedly saw that that erasure led to multiple harms. 2) While a growing call for decolonisation of education and especially of Psychology is welcome, there were few papers on how this can be done in a classroom. There was little practical advice or concrete steps to help instructors who were willing to take up the challenge of addressing the gaping holes in the discipline's theories and research, and helping their students learn through a critical perspective.
Ayurdhi Dhar
Prescott College
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A practical guide to teaching introductory psychology through a decolonial approach: Interrogating knowledge with theoretical perspectives., Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, December 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/stl0000467.
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