Presently, there is growing interest in research on psychology in the context of humanities and humanistic social sciences. This curiosity has come at a time of renewed interest in advancing indigenous knowledge in African scientific research practice and the role of historically and culturally established forms of social interaction and coordinated conduct in social research and theory development (Olosofon & Price, 2018). Yet for close to six decades the field of psychology has been influenced by humanistic psychology perspectives that underscore experimental and survey research while failing to recognize the depth and meaning of human experience as the case need be in typical humanistic social sciences. Moreover, in the recent past, there has been a sociocultural turn in psychology with the view that humanistic psychology should be influenced by social and cultural aspects of the context (McDonald & Wearing, 2013). Given this quest, the critical thoughts of a leader in the psychology discipline and who has been at the helm of its growth and development in Uganda is crucial. Thus, we had the opportunity to interview Professor Julius Kikooma whose vast research experience revolves on African indigenous knowledge. Thus, his critical reflections on a sociocultural psychological approach provides useful insights on the possibility of a humanistic-sociocultural psychology. This research presents the transcript of the interview and the synthesis of the key ramifications of the interview for humanitising psychology.
Key words: sociocultural turn, humanitising psychology, indigenous knowledge, African scientific research practice.
Thank you.
I am Joyce Nansamba, a Lecturer at the School of Psychology, Makerere University in Uganda.
I would like to receive abstracts or summaries using my mail here: joyce.nansamba@mak.ac.ug
The Preferred Date is by the end of February 2026.
I am interested in the social cultural turn in psychology and the use of indegenous methodologies in research practice that have been shelved for so long in Psychology. I request for co-researchers and pannelist intereted in this area to team up with me and we present our thoughts and insights that will shape the humanitisation of Psychology beyong humanistic perspectives. I look forward to doing research in psychology using interpretivist paradigms as opposed to the prevailing post positivist paradigm and to generate imperical research that is aimed at tackling real life occurences or matters.
