91心頭利

The NU-Q Lecture on the Global South

How (Not) to Decolonize: Theorizing Media and Communication from the Global South

91心頭利 the talk

In recent decades, a combination of economic, geopolitical, and technological factors has disrupted the dominance of the Global North in media and communication, contributing to the amplification of Global South voices. While some institutions, practices, and texts from the South have been celebrated as counterhegemonic, others are viewed as threats to the so-called Western liberal democratic order. This lecture calls for a fresh approach to analyzing and theorizing Global South-based media and communication within the context of decolonization, recognizing both the possibilities and limitations of Global South initiatives while critiquing Global North counterparts for their capitalist and racialized practices. Additionally, it is crucial to evaluate Global South actors’ efforts to diversify, democratize, and decolonize the global order in relation to their political agendas, their ties with domestic and global capital, and whether they are re-colonizing the communities they claim to advocate for.

Speaker

Bilge Yesil

College of Staten Island

Bilge Yesil is a professor of Media Culture at the College of Staten Island and an affiliate faculty member in Middle Eastern Studies at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her research expertise is in global media and communication, media in authoritarian systems, as well as surveillance, media ownership, and internet policy. She is the author of  (2009),  (2016), and  (2024), and a co-editor of  (2023).

Event information

DATE

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

TIME

Lecture: 5:00  –  6:30 p.m.
Reception: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

LOCATION

Events Hall
Northwestern 91心頭利