Rethinking Media: Decolonial Communication Models for the Global South

What Is Decolonial Communication?

This article explains that decolonial communication is a critical rethinking of media systems, calling for horizontal, culturally rooted, and life-respecting models of dialogue. Drawing from the Andean-Amazonian worldview, it shifts focus from technocratic efficiency to community wisdom and planetary ethics.

Why Is It Relevant Today?

According to the research of Valdez-López, Romero-Rodríguez, and Hernando, colonial legacies still shape media narratives, educational systems, and power dynamics. The main findings argue for a transition toward communication for buen vivir (living well)—centered on harmony, reciprocity, and collective identity, rather than profit or propaganda.

How Are These Models Constructed?

Breaking Down Colonial Influence

The authors identify layers of colonial control:

• Power (race-based social structures)

• Knowledge (monopolization of epistemology)

• Being (identity and existential alienation)

• Doing (Western labor and communication formats)

• Dreams (media-driven aspirations shaped by consumerism)

Communication as Cultural Resistance

• Inspired by Luis Ramiro Beltrán’s “liberation communicology”, these models emphasize oral tradition, indigenous storytelling, and participatory formats.

• Communication is seen not as a tool, but as a living system of interdependence with the cosmos, community, and ancestral values.

Actionable Epistemic Shifts

• Replace linear messaging with circular dialogue.

• Prioritize spirituality, complementarity, and dignity in content creation.

• Rebuild media education around intercultural encounters and pluriversal knowledge.

FAQs

Q: Is decolonial communication against modern media?

Not at all. This article explains that it’s not about rejecting media technology, but about reclaiming agency, relocalizing meaning, and restoring balance between tradition and innovation.

Q: How does this benefit global societies?

Decolonial frameworks promote inclusive governance, ecological ethics, and alternative visions of progress, fostering more sustainable and humane communication systems.

Q: What are practical steps for implementation?

Encourage native language content, community-led media, and educational reforms that integrate indigenous philosophies into journalism and communication curricula.