Kobi K. K. Kambon (Joseph A. Baldwin)

Scholars engaged in the history of ideas have given very little attention, if any, to the intellectual history of African-centered psychological thought. Yet, there are pertinent issues addressed in the literature and the various discourses emanating from the literature produced by African-centered psychologists. Intellectual histories allow us to uncover the intellectual antecedents and trace the theoretical steps of the great thinkers that set the foundation for the road contemporary scholars travel. This brief intellectual portrait uses the pioneering work of Kobi Kambon as a representative model of important ideas discussed in African-centered psychology. Kobi Kambon is an internationally renowned scholar in African-centered psychology, Black personality, mental health, and cultural oppression. While this is not an exhaustive treatment of all of Kambon’s major works, it is an attempt to provide a theoretical and conceptual sketch of the intellectual influences, the intellectual contributions, and the intellectual spaces in which his scholarly activity took place. Kambon’s laborious work in developing and defining the parameters of African-centered psychology provides a blueprint and conceptual road map that future African-centered psychologists can consult as they continue to travel along the path of navigating the intellectual terrain of African-centered psychology.