Co-constructing a decolonising praxis in academia through dialogues and pedagogical experiences between the UK and Ecuador.

As demanded by Argentinian cartoonist Quino's (2014) character Libertad (meaning freedom), the Latin American tradition of Liberation Psychology has explicitly called for a decolonising praxis since the 1970s. Such call has implications for training courses in psychology and other fields related to health and wellbeing, such as psychiatrists or social workers. However, there are various challenges in translating a decolonial rhetoric into concrete practice within the classroom, research and practice placements. This paper presents an account of experience and dialogues between two liberatory and critical community psychology educators in universities from the UK and Ecuador. Based on an international participatory roundtable on decolonisation and a pedagogical exchange between their students, the authors discuss the limitations and possibilities of engaging in a 'new praxis' that is both decolonial and liberatory.

How coloniality shapes the making of Latin American psychologists: ethnographic evidence from Ecuador.

This paper provides ethnographic evidence on how coloniality shapes the making of Latin American psychologists. A critical ethnography was conducted at a psychology training institution in Ecuador, consisting of twelve months of participant observation; forty-one semi-structured interviews; and analysis of academic discourse, photos, videos and relevant social media content. The research was guided by the tradition of Critical Psychology - specifically Liberation Psychology - and Critical Discourse Analysis. Findings suggest the pervasiveness of coloniality in the making of Ecuadorian psychologists and, hypothetically, of others in Latin America and the wider Global South. Interpretations also highlight the non-essentialist, non-dichotomist, 'messy' nature of such processes, a consideration which may advance current ethical and analytical debates on decolonisation. Echoing ongoing critical arguments, authors suggest that a 'help-as-war' metaphor is a category with potential value to contribute to such advancement, an approach that has important theoretical and pragmatic implications for researchers and practitioners.