Compiled by Elva Nziza, for AJENda and Afromedia.network
We present a short selection of publications of interest to the African communications and media studies research community.
Authors: Edited by Toks Dele Oyedemi, Rene A. Smith (Routledge- Taylor and Francis Group)
This comprehensive and accessible introduction delves into a variety of issues related to the theory, history, and critiques of media in Africa.
With contributions from global scholars, both emerging and established voices from the African continent and its diaspora, this volume addresses themes such as decolonization, media freedom, censorship, identity, representation, pluralism, and media framing. It also examines the political economy of media, emphasizing ownership, market trends, and transnational media operations in Africa. The contributors explore these topics across diverse media tiers, types, genres, and platforms. Additionally, practicing journalists and media professionals working in Africa share their hands-on knowledge, providing students with practical insights from the field. Each chapter adopts an instructional approach, with contributors engaging key concepts and theories to investigate the praxis of media in Africa through specific case studies.
Through its global and critical perspectives, this book unites knowledge, ideas, and tools to understand the challenges and identify effective solutions, best practices, and alternative approaches to combat xenophobia in the media, fostering tolerance and social cohesion.
While various studies have examined how the media construct xenophobic discourse against immigrants and refugees and represent these groups, there remains a significant research gap. Specifically, little is known about the dynamics of xenophobia construction in the media, the effects and functions of xenophobic discourse, the relationship between media-driven xenophobia and social, economic, and political conditions, and the impact of such discourse on immigrants and host communities. This book aims to bridge this gap by providing new knowledge and empirical evidence.
This volume will serve as an important resource for journalists, scholars, and students in media and communication studies, journalism, political science, sociology, and for anyone interested in issues related to race and racism, human rights, immigration, and refugees.
This timely book draws on unique African experiences to explore the intersection between mental health and African communitarianism in the context of COVID-19, giving voice to the perspectives of vulnerable populations facing pre-existing challenges such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Advancing knowledge and contributing to the global debate about the effects of the pandemic on the psychological well-being of African people, chapters critique the role of media, information, misinformation, and disinformation during this period on individual- and community-based mental health. Using a holistic approach, the book highlights the need to prioritise the localising of mental health systems and clinical services to provide a better standard of care and comprehensive, context-specific mental health interventions that consider the heterogeneity within and between African regions.