Chief Mohlomi’s Indigenous Epistemology of a Healing Career: A Psychobiographical Analysis

Abstract

This study was a psychobiographical analysis of Chief Mohlomi’s indigenous epistemology of a healing career. Mohlomi was an unconventional thinker and the great-grandson of the king of the Bakoena, Monaheng, who lived in pre-colonial Africa. Mohlomi is generally referred to as the Socrates of Africa, a philosopher par excellence. He was also known as a great healer. The study answered the question: How can Chief Mohlomi’s indigenous epistemology of healing practices help bridge the Western, educated, industrialised, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) psychological healing practices gap and promote Afrocentric indigenous healing practices? Savickas’ Career Construction Theory was used as a lens to interpret Chief Mohlomi’s career of healing. Employing a single-case design, biographical data was examined to understand Chief Mohlomi’s indigenous epistemology of healing practices. The findings underscore Mohlomi’s indigenous epistemology of healing, healing for well-being, healing for inclusion and healing as nation-building. This study contributes to the field of psychology in general through the use of a psychobiography. In particular, the study contributes to the fields of career development and psychiatry based on the lessons learned from Chief Mohlomi’s epistemology of healing. Keywords: Healing Career, Indigenous Epistemology, Chief Mohlomi, Psychobiography, Lesotho.