Asian Psychology Collective Aotearoa
The Asian Psychology Collective Aotearoa (APCA) was launched at the NZPsS Annual Conference in 2024. It was initiated by a group of Asian psychologists, scholars, and psychology students, broadly including those with whakapapa to East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
The proposal to initiate APCA came from a discussion among a few of us about how racism operates and affects our journey in psychology as Asians. Asians in psychology experience particular forms of racialisation, ranging from being ‘forgotten’ or triggering an ‘irrational button’, to being seen as the ‘unassimilable foreigner’ (link). While each of us has been involved in different roles in addressing the Eurocentric roots of psychology, we have come to appreciate the value of assembling a rōpū and hearing from diverse Asian perspectives as we work on strategies to challenge and reshape the current status quo in psychology.
Our aim is to provide a platform for Asian members to come together in a culturally safe space where we can discuss issues important to our profession and communities. Our vision is to grow the relevance of Asian psychologies in Aotearoa as a valid knowledge stream in its own right, while also remaining open to opportunities for integration with Māori, Pacific, and Western psychologies. Our consultation with APCA members identified five key areas of focus: mentorship and peer support, networking platforms, community engagement and events, advocacy for change, and resource and content development.
APCA is open to all NZPsS members who are psychologists, researchers, and students with whakapapa to East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This is our priority group at present, though we may revisit this as we continue to grow, mindful that there are also non-Asian allies who are passionate about growing Asian psychologies. We have an existing Facebook group for APCA members and an email list.
Link to Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1JdVrSy7Qx/
Link to express interest to joining APCA's emailing list: https://forms.gle/ej6tdGf3USjhEgoi7
