(THE COLLEGE FIX) – Art therapy is offered through a “Western ideology” lens and needs “decolonization,” according to a recently published academic paper.
Titled “Furthering the Field of Expressive Arts Therapies Through Acts of Decolonization,” the 35-page paper explores how colonialism, under the guise of “Western ideology,” not only killed “millions of Native American Indians,” but continues to negatively influence art therapy and other aspects of society.
The article is Lesley University grad student Leticia Alcuran’s capstone thesis. A pending grad of its Graduate School of Arts & Social Sciences, Alcuran examined “how decolonization can further the use of expressive arts therapies by addressing racist structures and ideologies that impact the mental health field.”
