The silence in a radical field

Abstract This first‐person account interrogates the silence of mainstream community psychology in the face of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We confront the gap between the field's stated commitments to social justice, prevention, and liberation, and its complicity through inaction. Silence is not neutrality but alignment with power, reflecting the colonial foundations and whiteness that structure mainstream psychology. Drawing on the tradition of bearing witness as a critical research methodology, we came together through a conference session and developed this account through collective dialogue, iterative exchange, and transnational solidarity. Organized thematically, the article asks four central questions: (1) What does mainstream community psychology's silence on Palestine say about our commitments, values, and usefulness?; (2) Why is Palestinian resistance pathologized as deviance rather than recognized as dignity?; (3) What is the purpose of theory if not applied in moments of urgent crisis?; and (4) What will mainstream community psychology claim it stood for when genocide was broadcast in real time? We ground our critique in lived realities across West Asia, Africa, Europe, and exile. The account is a refusal of complicity, a challenge to measure the field's worth not by rhetoric but by courage and solidarity in the struggle for liberation.

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Publication Details

Journal
American Journal of Community Psychology
Published
2026-09-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70111
Primary Topic
Community Health and Development
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The silence in a radical field

Patrizia Meringolo, Mazna Patka, Serdar M. Değirmencioğlu, Noha Emam Hassanin et al.
American Journal of Community Psychology
Community Health and Development
article

The silence in a radical field

Patrizia Meringolo, Mazna Patka, Serdar M. Değirmencioğlu, Noha Emam Hassanin, Azza Osman, Radwa R. Abdelshafi
article en

Abstract

Abstract This first‐person account interrogates the silence of mainstream community psychology in the face of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We confront the gap between the field's stated commitments to social justice, prevention, and liberation, and its complicity through inaction. Silence is not neutrality but alignment with power, reflecting the colonial foundations and whiteness that structure mainstream psychology. Drawing on the tradition of bearing witness as a critical research methodology, we came together through a conference session and developed this account through collective dialogue, iterative exchange, and transnational solidarity. Organized thematically, the article asks four central questions: (1) What does mainstream community psychology's silence on Palestine say about our commitments, values, and usefulness?; (2) Why is Palestinian resistance pathologized as deviance rather than recognized as dignity?; (3) What is the purpose of theory if not applied in moments of urgent crisis?; and (4) What will mainstream community psychology claim it stood for when genocide was broadcast in real time? We ground our critique in lived realities across West Asia, Africa, Europe, and exile. The account is a refusal of complicity, a challenge to measure the field's worth not by rhetoric but by courage and solidarity in the struggle for liberation.

American Journal of Community Psychology
Cairo University (EG), Sudan Medical Specialization Board (SD), Zayed University (AE)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions, Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Community Health and Development
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The silence in a radical field — Patrizia Meringolo, Mazna Patka, et al. · American Journal of Community Psychology (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS