Seminar with Dr Shakiba Moghadam, Southampton Solent University

Decolonising the Social Sciences: Moving from Discourse to Action

This talk will critically examine what it truly means to decolonise the social sciences and more specifically, the psychology curriculum, moving beyond rhetoric toward practical change. It will outline tangible strategies for challenging Eurocentric dominance in psychological knowledge and teaching, and demonstrate how to actively centre voices, scholarship and knowledge acquisition that have been historically marginalised and “othered.” The session calls for meaningful structural, pedagogical and reflective action rather than symbolic, performative gestures.

About the speaker:

Dr Shakiba Moghadam is a Chartered Psychologist and university lecturer and Chairs the British Psychological Society’s Human Rights Coordinating Group and Solent University’s BIPOC Staff Network. Her research focuses on mental health literacy, wellbeing and help-seeking among marginalised communities, including refugees and asylum seekers, alongside exploring the relationship between psychology and human rights. She is a lead facilitator for the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences’ SEPAR EDI workshops, delivering training on cultural awareness in applied practice. Shakiba is a multiple award-winning EDI leader and consultant, a trustee for two non-profit organisations, and a Wellbeing Advisor for Solent Mind, working in community crisis support.