Decolonizing Communication: Indigenous Epistemologies and the Culture of Life

What Is Decolonizing Communication?

This article explains that decolonizing communication involves replacing Eurocentric media models with horizontal, intercultural, and life-centered frameworks rooted in Andean-Amazonian worldviews. Based on the work of Valdez, Romero-Rodríguez, and Hernando, it reflects a call for “liberation communicology” led by thinkers like Luis Ramiro Beltrán and Erick Torrico.

Why Does It Matter?

The main findings indicate that Western approaches impose capitalist, linear, and extractive models of communication. In contrast, decolonized communication promotes dialogue, reciprocity, and community-driven meaning-making essential for preserving the planet and indigenous cultures.

How Is It Structured?

Five Dimensions of Coloniality

1. Coloniality of Power – Racialized control of politics and identity.

2. Coloniality of Knowledge – Western epistemologies dominate education.

3. Coloniality of Being – Colonized existence and identity.

4. Coloniality of Doing – Imposed labor and technical paradigms.

5. Coloniality of Dreams – Cultural industries manipulate aspirations.

Andean-Amazonian Principles of Communication

• Complementarity and Reciprocity: Dialogue among opposites for balance.

• Deep Spirituality and Identity: Connection to Pachamama and cosmos.

• Ancestral Wisdom: Oral tradition and indigenous languages.

• Community Unity: Self-determination and cultural preservation.

Toward a Liberation Communicology

Inspired by Beltrán, this approach reclaims:

• Pre-Columbian communication systems (iconography, textiles, oral history).

• Media democratization via community radio and participatory formats.

• Education that integrates intercultural and pluriversal perspectives.

FAQs

Q: What is the goal of decolonizing communication?

This article explains that the goal is to restore communication as a tool for human dignity, social justice, and ecological harmony, moving away from commercial and technocratic paradigms.

Q: Who are the key thinkers in this movement?

According to the study, foundational figures include Luis Ramiro Beltrán, Aníbal Quijano, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, and Catherine Walsh.

Q: How can universities apply this approach?

Universities should incorporate native knowledge, offer courses in indigenous languages, and reframe media studies around community life and dialogue rather than market metrics.