Call for Papers for a Special Section of the Journal of Research on Adolescence
Towards a decolonial developmental science: Exploring adolescent development in communities from the Majority World
Abstracts Due: November 15, 2022
Invited Manuscripts Due: March 30, 2023
The view of human development as a transactional process between individuals and their social contexts has been widely recognized in developmental science. Yet, much like other areas of psychological science, the knowledge base in adolescent developmental science is predominantly derived from research with a narrow and highly unusual segment of the world’s population: White, middle-class adolescents living in the Global North (i.e., USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Oceania, and Western European countries) (Moriguchi, 2022; Nielsen et al., 2017). The experiences of adolescents in the Global South (Blicharska et al., 2017) or the Majority world (i.e., where the majority of the world’s population resides) are highly underrepresented and historically excluded in research published in English language peer-reviewed journals. This predominance of White, EuroAmerican samples and researchers is a reflection of coloniality embedded in developmental science, which leads to a science that is incomplete and lacks applicability to support the well-being of adolescents around the world. In addition to inclusion of Majority World samples and researchers, a shift towards a decolonial developmental science would require 1) conceptualizing adolescent development within local sociocultural, political, economic, educational and other relevant contexts, 2) aiming to generate localized knowledge about adolescent development in Majority World communities, 3) using research methods that make sense to, are valued by, and/or involve local communities, and 4) interpreting findings in ways that view beliefs, behaviors, and practices in Majority World communities as cultural resources rather than deficits. A number of scholars discuss and describe decolonial approaches to social science research methodology (e.g., see Abo-Zena, Mattis, & Jones, 2022 for a decolonial conception of rigor and Kia-Keating & Juang, 2022 for participatory methods), and the critical importance of avoiding implicit or explicit comparisons of Majority World communities to the EuroAmerican norm that lead to viewing beliefs, behaviors, and practices in Majority World communities as less desirable, inferior, or pathological (Adams et al., 2022; Teo, 2010).
In this special section, we seek articles that enhance the scholarly understanding of adolescent development and functioning in communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, or the Middle East from a decolonial lens, and push us forward towards a decolonial developmental science. We especially seek submissions that are led by authors who live and work in these world regions. Submissions may include reports of research studies that aim to generate localized knowledge about adolescent development in the Majority World, use research methods that aim towards a decolonial practice (e.g., participatory and community-based action research, narrative methods, quantitative methods that are highly attuned to local contexts, mixed-methods), and overall adopt a cultural asset rather than deficit framework. Submissions may also include theoretical or conceptual articles that provide a critique of developmental theories and models of adolescent development from a decolonial lens, chart a research agenda in a specific subfield of adolescent development from a decolonial lens, or systematic literature reviews pertaining to adolescent development in Majority World communities that outline a decolonial research agenda moving forward.
Special section editors: Dr. Angelo Brandeli Costa, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (angelobrandellicosta@gmail.com), Dr. Lixian Cui, NYU Shanghai, China (lc145@nyu.edu), Dr. Silvia H. Koller, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Brazil (silviahkoller@gmail.com), Dr. Chidozie Edwin Nwafor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria (ce.nwafor@unizik.edu.ng), and Dr. Vaishali Raval, Miami University, USA (ravalvv@miamioh.edu). Please address inquiries to the special section editor from your world region or to Dr. Raval.
For information, visit the website of the SRA: https://www.s-r-a.org/call-for-papers