The North-West University’s (NWU’s)School of Communication Studies and the Social Transformation research focus area hosted an online public lecture on 18 June 2021, titled “Decolonising communication research: Excavating the layers and identifying new horizons of practice”.

 The guest speaker was Dr Isabelle Zaugg, a lecturer and postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University in New York, USA.

In her lecture, Dr Zaugg, who is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, highlighted the realities related to how artificial intelligence, as well as information communication technologies (ICT), are used in what she called “data colonialism” against millions of people around the world.

She presented a framework towards readjusting the colonial legacy within communication study, thereby advocating for identifying colonial patterns in communication technologies and data practices, and new horizons of decolonial practise with regard to pedagogy, research, the field of communication and collective imagination.

This, she said, would help to ensure that thousands of African indigenous languages do not face extinction.  

“When we talk about the topic of this lecture, we need to ask ourselves certain questions. Who is supported in academia and in the wider field of publications, mentorship, funds and promotions? Whose work is considered central? Is the global communication field empowering or limiting participation from all parts of the globe? Whose lives, perspectives, and knowledge are valued? What research is being done by whom?”.

Responding to the lecture, Prof Mpho Chaka, deputy dean for teaching and learning in the Faculty of Humanities, said that now is the time to ensure that our calls for decolonising communication research are translated into action.

“Given that our faculty has policies ensuring that our curriculum and pedagogical practices are rooted in a decolonial trajectory, we have to make sure that this goes beyond just replacing a few western textbooks with local ones. We need to harness African scholarship and help our students to ask critical questions aimed at bettering our societies through their research inquiries,” said Prof Chaka.

According to Dr Tshepang Molale, who was the co-organiser of the event with Dr Tsietsi Mmutle, the lecture is part of the School of Communication Studies’ postgraduate seminar series, aimed at supporting postgraduate students in their studies.

Dr Mmutle also indicated that this conversation was the first of many to follow. “The decolonisation project should be understood as a process and not an event, and we hope all the school’s planned activities will bring insights from local and international scholars on what needs to be considered when speaking about decoloniality in the context of communication research.”

“Thanks to Prof Lynnette Fourie, director of the Social Transformation research focus area, we are able to use these kinds of platforms to spark intellectual debates. This will enable our students to critically reflect on what they are taught, and also ask themselves critical questions about what solutions they can bring to society through their research expeditions in the humanities,” added Dr Molale.