The critical psyche against settler colonialism: Lee-Anne Broadhead, Christine Gwynn, Sean Howard, ‘he Critical Psyche: Jung, Marcuse and the Aesthetics of Social Change in an Era of Indigenous Resurgence’, International Journal of Jungian Studies, 2026 | settler colonial studies blog

The critical psyche against settler colonialism: Lee-Anne Broadhead, Christine Gwynn, Sean Howard, ‘he Critical Psyche: Jung, Marcuse and the Aesthetics of Social Change in an Era of Indigenous Resurgence’, International Journal of Jungian Studies, 2026

20Mar26

Abstract: In 1978 Gertrude Steuernagel argued for the necessity of deepening the culturally ‘therapeutic’ function of political philosophy by means of a ‘synthesis’ of works by C.G. Jung and Herbert Marcuse. We believe her proposal continues to offer—with one important qualification—a valid path towards a politically ‘therapeutic intervention’ in dysfunctional power relationships. Such an intervention is required in settler colonial states and should involve something unaddressed and unimagined by Steuernagel: an intervention by Indigenous political theorists into mainstream, Eurocentric political theory itself, as well as the friendlier (but still culturally biased) territory of Jungian/post-Jungian psychology. Given the centrality of the aesthetic dimension to both Jung and Marcuse, the paper considers the role of Indigenous artworks, in challenging the settler-colonial persona. The paper answers Steuernagel’s call for “creative conclusions or implications” stemming from her appeal by identifying Indigenous critique as key to the practice of therapeutic political philosophy.

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