Developmental Psychology as Political Psychology in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Challenge of Africanisation
Author(s)
Nsamenang, A. Bame; Dawes, Andy
Abstract
Africa has been a major recipient of alien influences that have been largely imposed rather than solicited. The continent has always had to adjust to external demands, and as a consequence, it has developed a hybrid cultural milieu. An important aspect of this process has been academic acculturation and the externalization of African outlooks. This paper explores the problem of studying child psychological development and contributing to development projects for African children, in the context of competing indigenous and modern psychologies. It suggests that both cultural psychology and eco-cultural frameworks have important contributory roles to play in addressing the problems of the Eurocentric hegemony in African developmental psychology. As part of a liberatory project for African psychology, researchers and practitioners are encouraged to enter a critical dialog with external knowledge systems, in constructing an understanding of child psychological development on the continent. This is crucial if the discipline is to contribute to an improvement of the life circumstances of African children.
