Ubuntu: Innovation and Decolonization in Media and Communication Studies

In this chapter, we engage with debates around decolonization as well as the impact of digital technologies on democratic deliberation and participation in South Africa. Taking to task the discipline of media and communication studies as a case in point, we make the argument that in order to advance the process of decolonization and overcome democratic deficits with regards to communication, we need to acknowledge, draw on, and invest in capacities for innovation and innovative practices that are both locally excellent and globally relevant. To this end, we show how the African moral philosophy of ubuntu is conducive to innovation and can serve as a foundation for innovation as a decolonial pedagogy in media and communication studies. This stands in defiance of the myth that Africans are a people whose moral cultures are not conducive to innovation.