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A fascinating exploration of modern podcasting as a tool for decolonization
In The Podcaster's Dilemma: Decolonizing Podcasters in the Era of Surveillance Capitalism, Drs. Nolan Higdon and Nicholas Baham III connect contemporary podcasting to the broader history of the use of radio technology in the service of anti-colonial struggle and revolution. By organizing the book's analysis of decolonization through podcasting via three distinct activities--interrogation and critique, counter-narrative, and call to action--the authors create a lens through which they analyze and evaluate the decolonizing potential of new podcasts.
The book also critiques the threat to the decolonizing efforts of some modern podcasts by the growing phenomena of surveillance capitalism and the emerging podcast oligopoly. The Podcaster's Dilemma reveals both potential and challenges in the podcasting space as podcasters struggle to put forward insightful new narratives funded by anti-capitalist models.
This important book also includes:
* A thorough introduction to the podcasters profiled in the book and an examination of how they're using podcasts to decolonize themselves from colonial mentalities
* Practical discussions of how the profiled podcasters interrogate and critique the veracity of neoliberal, racist, imperialist, patriarchal, heterosexist, classist, and ableist white-centered ideologies
* Comprehensive explorations of the counter-narrative production phase of a decolonizing podcaster's process
* In-depth treatments of the community activism created by decolonizing podcasts
The Podcaster's Dilemma: Decolonizing Podcasters in the Era of Surveillance Capitalism is an indispensable new resource for critical media, communications, ethnic studies, and political science scholars, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. It is also perfect for anyone interested in the broad expansion of intersectional voices in dialogue about everything from political organizing to plant-based diets.
List of contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1 Meet the Hosts 15
2 Interrogation and Critique 42
3 Counter-narrative Production 80
4 Community Activism 110
5 Recolonizing Podcasts: Moving beyond the Frontiers of Instrumentarianism 131
Index 147
About the author
Dr Nicholas L. Baham III is Professor of Ethnic Studies at California State University East Bay where he teaches courses in Black Studies and Genders & Sexualities in Communities of Color. His research, publications, teaching, and professional conference presentations focus on alternative Black cultural, spiritual, and sexual experiences; Jazz Studies; James Baldwin; Comparative Ethnic Studies; and Afrofuturism.
Dr. Nolan Higdon is an author and university lecturer of history and media studies at California State University East Bay. His research focus is on digital culture, news media history, and critical media literacy. He is a founding member of the Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas.
Report
"From the rich details and engaging topics on the podcasts featured in these pages, to the crisp writing about the hosts, their guests and the counternarratives of decolonization, everything about this book is a breath of fresh air. Higdon and Baham have set the standard for designing compelling and original research and imparting the wisdom of their findings about this popular medium and the extraordinary producers who have harnessed its discursive powers." - Robin Andersen, Professor Emerita at Fordham University
"In Podcaster's Dilemma: Decolonizing Podcasters in the Era of Surveillance Capitalism, scholars Baham and Higdon, podcasters themselves, deliver a major, breakthrough study on an exploding medium...Well-researched, powerfully argued, cautious but optimistic, Baham and Higdon's The Podcaster's Dilemma gives the reader a broad yet deep understanding of the media ecology around this wildly popular format while offering sage advice regarding the direction it could take to become a major force for decolonizing major sectors of society. A gripping and important read for our times." - Mickey Huff, director of Project Censored, president of the Media Freedom Foundation; professor of social science, history, and journalism, Diablo Valley College.
