Decolonial research practices from an indigenous psychology perspective: Critical contributions to knowledge

The indigenous psychology (IP) movement has challenged mainstream psychology, which is considered rooted in colonial legacies, and has advocated for locally informed and developed theories and practices. The article explores the nexus of IP and decolonial psychology, emphasizes the need to challenge Western-centric hegemony, and promotes a contextually rich, relational paradigm based on reflexivity. IP critiques the Euro-American methodologism and calls for broader epistemic and substantive perspectives and a more inclusive and equitable psychology based on ontological and cultural diversity. Illustrations from IP-informed research are presented as concrete knowledge outcomes. The theory of strong-ties and weak-ties rationalities, used in combination with Bourdieu's critical sociology, addresses the impact of modern economic hegemony and renders intelligible the ecological grief of an Indigenous People in Malaysia. The postcolonial debate concerning the Chinese concept of xin (heart) is elaborated to show that decolonization and IP are entangled. We conclude with concrete suggestions for decolonizing psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).