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Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2006.

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Other Authors: Bakker, Terri M.
Format: Thesis
Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Bakker, Terri M.
author_browse Bakker, Terri M.
author_facet Bakker, Terri M.
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2005, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2006.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/27932
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:20.940Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/27932 Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology Bakker, Terri M. linda.blokland@up.ac.za Eskell-Blokland, Linda Indigenisation Culture Context Hegemony Non-western Western Ecology Local knowledge Epistemology Developing Globalisation UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2006. Mainstream psychology is argued to be a discipline of western orientation and thus problematic when applied in non-western contexts. It is recognised that psychology has an important role to play in the developing context of South Africa and thus the relevance and appropriateness of psychology as an applied discipline in both practice and research is of concern to local practitioners. Previous research into the problem has been presented from western academic frameworks but little has been recorded exposing local voices on the subject, or proposing useful approaches to praxis. In an attempt to address these shortcomings in the discipline, this study explores the academic context as well as some local voices from the field on the relevance of mainstream psychology as currently practiced generally in South Africa. A framework for reflecting on practice at a meta level, in an ecologically sensitive approach, is proposed. Considering the history of the problem, constraining factors to the development of a more appropriate praxis in psychology are seen to include epistemological issues in the discipline emerging from western academic hegemony and contributing to the perceived previous elitism of psychology as a discipline. The study deciphers issues around epistemology in as far as they impact on the problem. Epistemological issues call for an exploration of indigenous or local knowledges in an attempt to arrive at a relevant and appropriate praxis of psychology in the local context. In the handling of the research material, the study adopts a narrative literary stance in a postmodern attitude, to avoid epistemological issues arising from conventional approaches to research. The voices from the previously silenced majority are presented through stories of experiences involving human problems and psychotherapy in the township of Mamelodi, east of Pretoria in South Africa. The research material is discussed using ecological and evolutionary language at a meta level. The researcher distinguishes between what takes place in a professional dialogue and how she reflects on this process. Ecological and evolutionary language at the reflexive meta level is considered to facilitate a context-sensitive approach to psychology as a discipline practiced in a non-western context. Psychology Unrestricted 2013-09-07T12:37:04Z 2005-09-14 2013-09-07T12:37:04Z 2005-05-08 2006-09-14 2005-09-14 Thesis Eskell-Blokland, L 2005, Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology, PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/27932 > http://hdl.handle.net/2263/27932 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09142005-080327/ © 2005, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Indigenisation
Culture
Context
Hegemony
Non-western
Western
Ecology
Local knowledge
Epistemology
Developing
Globalisation
UCTD
Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology
title Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology
title_full Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology
title_fullStr Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology
title_full_unstemmed Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology
title_short Voice to the silent : an ecology of local knowledge in psychology
title_sort voice to the silent an ecology of local knowledge in psychology
topic Indigenisation
Culture
Context
Hegemony
Non-western
Western
Ecology
Local knowledge
Epistemology
Developing
Globalisation
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/27932
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09142005-080327/