{"id":133324,"date":"2023-09-08T00:02:53","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T04:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=133324"},"modified":"2023-09-07T18:36:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T22:36:55","slug":"art-therapy-needs-decolonization-academic-paper-argues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/art-therapy-needs-decolonization-academic-paper-argues\/","title":{"rendered":"Art therapy needs \u2018decolonization,\u2019 academic paper argues"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Western ideology has become the standard within the mental health field and continues to harm marginalized communities’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Art therapy is offered through a \u201cWestern ideology\u201d lens and needs \u201cdecolonization,\u201d according to a recently published academic paper.<\/p>\n

Titled “Furthering the Field of Expressive Arts Therapies Through Acts of Decolonization,\u201d the 35-page paper explores<\/a> how colonialism, under the guise of \u201cWestern ideology,\u201d not only killed \u201cmillions of Native American Indians,\u201d but continues to negatively influence art therapy and other aspects of society.<\/p>\n

The article is Lesley University grad student Leticia Alcuran\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

From this perspective, Alcuran, a dance instructor at a California high school, wrote that colonialism permeates expressive art therapies and gave suggestions on how to fix it.<\/p>\n

The College Fix<\/em> emailed Alcuran and asked her if decolonization is the only thing that can improve art therapies and if there are other perspectives of art therapy other than the \u201cEurocentric view\u201d or \u201cWestern ideology\u201d views. She did not respond to the requests for comment sent in the past three weeks.<\/p>\n

In her thesis, she argued the only way to end colonialism is not by creating \u201can eloquent diversity statement posted on a front page of an institution\u2019s website, and it is not a metaphor, nor is it a metonym for a social justice movement.”<\/p>\n

Instead, the country must return to Native Americans and other “marginalized” communities their land and way of life.<\/p>\n

She wrote colonialism has silenced and taken this away from Native Americans and other \u201cmarginalized\u201d groups through domination, so much so that \u201cWestern ideology has become the standard within the mental health field and continues to harm marginalized communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> ‘Decolonization’ student columnist calls for ‘violent resistance’<\/a><\/p>\n

Expressive art therapy is unique from other therapies in that instead of allowing a patient to only use one mode of expressing themselves through art, expressive art therapy enables a patient to use a variety of artistic mediums simultaneously, Alcuran explained.<\/p>\n

She wrote she experienced the oppressive effects of colonialism as \u201ca multiracial woman of color\u201d and a \u201cdescendant of the Indigenous Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribe and Kan\u0101ka Maoli ancestors.\u201d Even her own graduate program subjected her to \u201cimplicit biases,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

Alcuran expands on the discrimination she and her family have experienced. Her parents \u201cwere born during segregation and were forcibly assimilated to align with Western culture.\u201d She wrote she \u201cexperienced micro and macro aggressions, racism, discrimination, and oppression\u201d throughout her life.<\/p>\n

Colonialism \u201coppress[es] individuals seeking support for the validation of creative arts therapy practices [instead of] \u2026 prioritizing the needs of the BIPOC communities they aim to serve,” according to the paper, which added this is why Western ideology can no longer be the norm.<\/p>\n

Alcuran is not the only scholar who sees racism in the arts. The Ohio State University named<\/a> an “anti-racist dance” instructor its “artist laureate.” Associate Professor Nyama McCarthy-Brown received awards for \u201cdeveloping anti-racist dance curricula\u201d and \u201cis a nationally recognized culturally sustaining educator.”<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Conservative art therapy student wins $80K free speech settlement<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Fizkes \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n

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