Opening Note – Vista Journal & Repairing Communication. Depatriarchalising, Decolonising and Ecologising Media Culture

17 de June, 2024 | Chisoka Simões | Publication

Opening Note: Repairing the Irreparable

«In our increasingly fragmented world, contemplating reparation becomes ever more challenging. Wars that receive little attention in Western media have, in recent years, been overshadowed by others that dominate our focus. Globally, the blatant and violent manifestation of colonialism today renders concepts such as “coloniality” (of knowledge, being, or power) mere euphemisms for a reality that has always been colonial. Even decolonial theories, developed and nurtured within academia, appear synthetic and inadequate in the face of the end of the world as we know it.

Paradoxically, the ubiquity of projects, proposals, and events linked to the word “reparation” reached proportions unimaginable just a few years ago when we first considered contributing to this discussion within the Portuguese and Lusophone public space. Unsurprisingly, a substantial portion of these initiatives are opportunistic or media-driven, operating within the same exploitative logic. However, it is impossible to overlook the discursive shift that has occurred in the Portuguese public and governmental spheres in just a few years.»

Reference:

Pereira, A. C., Correia Borges, G., & Lança, M. (2024). Nota de Abertura: Reparar (n)o Irreparável. Vista, (13), e024010. https://doi.org/10.21814/vista.5813

Repairing Communication. Depatriarchalising, Decolonising and Ecologising Media Culture

Comunicación Radical. Despatriarcalizar, Decolonizar y Ecologizar la Cultura Mediática (Radical Communication. Depatriarchalising, Decolonising and Ecologising Media Culture; 2022), by Manuel Chaparro Escudero and Susana deAndrés del Campo, offers a feminist, decolonial, and ecologist approach to communication, grounded in an ethical imperative aimed at building fairer and more diverse societies. This work integrates multiple transdisciplinary research strands and advocates for a paradigm shift within communication sciences: a disruptive or insurgent proposition to “re-enchant” communication as a symbolic, political, and economic system. It interconnects various “regenerative keys” replacing the prevailing media culture, characterised by “hyperconnectivity that disconnects”, where the suffering of others is commodified into a relentless spectacle, and”algorithms of hate” capture attention while fostering “dismemory”.

Reference:

Cabecinhas, R. (2024). Reparar a Comunicação. Despatriarcalizar, Descolonizar e Ecologizar a Cultura Mediática. Vista, (13), e024009. https://doi.org/10.21814/vista.5597