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In the Shadow of the Global North

In the Shadow of the Global North

In the Shadow of the Global North

Journalism in Postcolonial Africa
J. Siguru Wahutu, Yale University, Connecticut
November 2024
Available
Hardback
9781009431958

    In the Shadow of the Global North unpacks the historical, cultural, and institutional forces that organize and circulate journalistic narratives in Africa to show that something complex is unfolding in the postcolonial context of global journalistic landscapes, especially the relationships between cosmopolitan and national journalistic fields. Departing from the typical discourse about journalistic depictions of Africa, j. Siguru Wahutu turns our focus to the underexplored journalistic representations created by African journalists reporting on African countries. In assessing news narratives and the social context within which journalists construct these narratives, Wahutu captures not only the marginalization of African narratives by African journalists but opens up an important conversation about what it means to be an African journalist, an African news organization, and African in the postcolony.

    • Offers a cross-national comparison of journalism across African countries
    • Uses Darfur as a case study for understanding the differences in how events unfolding in Africa are covered both within and outside of the continent
    • Centers African journalists and perspectives to counter their widespread marginalization in academia

    Reviews & endorsements

    ‘In In the Shadow of the Global North, James Wahutu has produced a deeply provocative intellectual piece that meticulously illuminates the normative character and role of African journalism in the construction of knowledge about Africa. The book provides an alluringly sharp, and arguably fresh empirical and conceptual direction into the debates around the representations of Africa by uniquely centring and projecting the role of African journalists and experiences in ways that emphatically challenge, and rebuff entrenched (Western) conceptions of media representations of Africa, even as it draws on Western sociological theory. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in rethinking existing discourses on the representation of Africa in the news media.’ Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK

    ‘Wahutu’s remarkable, original contribution is long-overdue - African journalism and journalism scholarship has for too long been colonized by scholars who would impose colonialist, paternalistic pathologies rather than appreciating its contribution as ‘just different.’ This deftly researched and theoretically-rich scholarship simultaneously makes the case for the importance of sovereignty and recognition of the African journalistic tradition while also identifying the complicity African journalists have in silencing African voices and reifying narratives of ethnic conflict, marginalization, and helplessness.’ Nikki Usher, author of News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism

    ‘This book as it stands makes an important contribution to scholarship. In suggesting that African journalism consists of layered fields of practice, it sets the stage for future research to explore the complexities of this region’s news production in more depth and shows how journalism studies can thoroughly engage field theory in future studies … In the Shadow of the Global North is an important book for journalism scholars and students. Graduate students will find it useful especially for its overview of African journalism and description of how journalists covered an important event and scholars will benefit from the rich insights into the complexity of postcolonial journalism fields in the contemporary world.’ Ruth Moon, Journalism & Mass Communication Quaterly

    ‘In this exceptional and engaging book, j. Siguru Wahutu centers African journalism for Africans, examining not only what African journalism fields are but also what they do and how they do it. Drawing on years of in-depth interviews, fieldwork, and content analysis, In the Shadow artfully illustrates how colonial legacies continue to shape African reporting on atrocities on the continent, resulting in a vital call to re-think journalism scholarship as well as pathbreaking contributions for peace and conflict studies.’ Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira, Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University

    ‘As an African journalist living in Africa and frequently writing for publications based in the Global North, Wahutu's book has challenged me to critique my own notions of what I think ‘good journalism’ is, and to expand my convictions of what it can be.’ Christine Mungai, Baraza Media Lab

    ‘The significance of the book is its attempt to understand why African journalists frame and present their continent in the same way as the Global North journalists and news organizations. The postulation that underpins this discussion is that journalism practiced in Africa is rooted in the Global North journalism culture and practice. This journalism is characterized by the marginalization of African voices. The argument is that a different kind of journalism - or simply put, African journalism - could provide something different, particularly in how African issues are framed and presented.’ Albert Sharra, African Studies Review

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    Product details

    November 2024
    Hardback
    9781009431958
    232 pages
    235 × 159 × 20 mm
    0.49kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • 1. Why Study African Media?
    • 2. What is African Journalism?
    • 3. Habitus in the Postcolony
    • 4. African Journalism Fields
    • 5. Africans at the Margins
    • 6. Framing an African Atrocity
    • 7. 'That Is Lazy Journalism'
    • 8. Lessons Learned
    • Appendix A: Methodological Notes
    • References
    • Index.
      Author
    • J. Siguru Wahutu , Yale University, Connecticut

      j. Siguru Wahutu is an Assistant Professor at New York University's Department of Media, Culture, and Communication and a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center of Internet and Society at Harvard University. Wahutu is an expert in the sociology of media, with an emphasis on genocide, mass violence, and ethnicity in sub-Saharan Africa. He has written about global media patterns in covering genocide in Africa, ethnicity, land, and politics in Kenya, and on the Kenyan media's experimentation with social media platforms. Wahutu's research has appeared in African Journalism Studies, African Affairs, Journalism Studies, International Journal of Press/Politics, Global Media and Communication, Media and Communication, Media, Culture, and Society, and Sociological Forum.