Theresa Zagers
clinical and intercultural psychologist
counselling. research. projects.
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PROHUMA
PROHUMA project: Understanding Prosociality and Rehumanization in Postcolonial Contexts
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PROHUMA is a joint PhD research project by Iscte-IUL (Lisbon, Portugal) and KU Leuven (Belgium). We explore if and how everyday helping behaviors, as well as collective, solidarity-based actions can restore dignity, reduce prejudice, and build bridges between communities in a postcolonial context.
Why this matters
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By exploring how prosocial actions (acts of care, support, or solidarity) influence these perspectives, this project aims to identify practical ways to rehumanize and liberate relationships between communities.
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Artwork (left) 'coexistence’ by Congolese artist De Dieu Luwungu
Artwork (below) ‘Footnotes by Angolan artist Antonio Olé
Overview of the activities of the project
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Phase 1: Integrating perspectives and the literature
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Literature review;
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Focus groups and expert interviews.
Phase 2: Larger scale testing
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Correlational survey study.
Phase 3: Causal inferences
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Experiments embedded in survey study.
Fase 4: Integration of phases
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Integrating insights from the 3 previous phases, coming to a relational understanding of the link between prosociality and rehumanization;
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Preparing the findings for policy and community recommendations.
Get involved!
At the moment, you can get involved as a participant in the Focus Groups or in the Expert Interviews!
Focus Groups
- Portuguese and Belgian participants of non-racialized communities;
- Angolan and Congolese participants of racialized communities;
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- All participants need to be adult (18 years or older), speak Portuguese/French sufficiently for a group discussion and have to live in/around Lisbon, Portugal or Brussels/Belgium.
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- ~ September 2025 - February 2026
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During the Focus Groups, several theatrical activities based on the Theatre of the Oppressed approach (Augusto Boal, 1974) will be conducted to facilitate the discussion. No previous experience is needed.
Expert Interviews
- Formal community leaders: People who hold an official role or position of authority within a community (e.g., school principals, NGO directors, elected representatives) in Congolese communities in Belgium.
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- Informal community leaders: Respected individuals without an official title who influence others through trust, experience, or social networks (e.g., elders, activists, youth mentors, religious figures) in Congolese communities in Belgium.
- In French, English or Dutch;
- ~December 2025 to February 2026;
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- Possibility for subsequent involvement in community outreach for larger scale correlational and experimental survey study.
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Questions discussed in both activities
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How do you conceptualize prosociality? And rehumanization?
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How does your community see 'humanity'?
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Do you see links between prosociality and rehumanization?
