*CFP* "DECONSTRUCTING IMAGES OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH THROUGH MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS AND COMMUNICATION", CHAPTER BOOK

Human conditions have over the years, phenomenally improved in all parts of the globe including in less developed countries. As noted by authors such as Easterlin (2000), Green (2012), Rodrik (2013). the UNO (2017) and OECD (2018), this remarkable revolution in human conditions – manifested by the fact that most people are better clothed, educated, fed and housed compared to their predecessors two centuries back – has so far not only touched the west. In effect, it has remarkably spread to less developed countries in Africa, South America and Asia as seen in the fact that the three above cited continents are today home to some emerging economies notably China, India and Brazil among others. 

In tandem with this, Rodrik (2013) insightfully notes that the tremendous growth witnessed by less developed nations during these last decades has made it commonplace for observers to refer to them (the developing countries) as the “savior of the world economy” (p.2). Rodrik further contends that, from 2005 to 2012, less developed countries actually saw their economies expanding at an unprecedented rate, leading to large reduction of extreme poverty and expansion of the middle class. 

During this period, the differential between the growth rate of developing and developed countries expanded to more than 5 percentage points due partly to a decline in the economic performance of most developed countries. In the same line of thought, Green (2012) reviews the economic successes of less developed African countries such as Botswana and Mauritius. He notes that Botswana has been Africa’s most enduring success story. Its per capita income has phenomenally risen a thousand fold since independence, making it “the world’s fastest-growing economy in three decades” (p. 159).

If scores of economists (notably the ones cited above) have underscored and predicted levels of economic growth in various developing and under-developed countries, only few critics have devoted serious attention to international media representations of this growth. Thus, a myriad of questions pertaining to local and international media’s attention to economic growth in developing and poor countries continues to beg for attention. 

Some of these questions include: how have economic dynamics in poor and developing countries been reported by the global media? Has the purported economic growth witnessed in these countries affected international media coverage of the global south? Has such an economic growth been “adequately” represented in the media coverage of poor and developing countries? Have the western media (particularly the ones based in developed countries) continued to represent developing and poor countries along negative stereotypes? Are there any concrete evidence of change in the way the international media treat news events occurring in poor and developing countries? Are media houses (in Africa, Asia or South America) really making efforts to counter or deconstruct western media representations of the global south? How can one compare western and non-western media representations of the global south?

There is no need to overlook the fact that a number of media scholars has attempted to answer some of the above mentioned questions. However, there continues to be a lack of consensus as to whether local and foreign media have shaped their representations of the global south according to, or with sufficient consideration of this economic growth. A good number of scholars from developing and poor countries continue to be of the persuasion that, in spite of the various indexes of growth and improved human conditions in the less developed world, the global media (particularly western media) have arguably persisted in the old age tradition of representing under-developed and poor countries dominantly in a negative light (Adichie, 2009; Bunce, Franks & Peterson, 2016; Iqani, 2016; Lugo-Ocando, 2015; Nworah 2006). Such critics claim that the economic successes of less developed countries are mostly overlooked by foreign media houses in favor of multiple negativities plaguing their countries. Only the negative news about Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East and South America actually seems to attract the attention of the foreign media. One thus has the impression that the less developed world continues to be dominantly portrayed in foreign media as places plagued by political instability, backwardness/primitivism, tribal anarchy, corruption, bad governance, civil wars, deadly pandemics, hunger and droughts and extreme poverty among others (Nworah, 2006).

Although popular in countries of the global south, the above mentioned position or narrative has largely remained a myth and/or a veritable food for thought. There is still a need to research foreign media portrayals of the less developed world to confidently ascertain the veracity of such a myth. This book aims at examining the extent to which this belief holds waters.

Objectives

This book is aimed at providing different perspectives on global media’s representation of (development and economic growth in) developing and poor countries. These perspectives may be historical, religious, socio-cultural and political among others. The book equally seeks to explore such representations in diverse media notably cinema, television, games, magazines, comics, photojournalism, advertising and online platforms among others.

Target Audience

The target audience of this book will consist of students, scholars, media practitioners, policy makers, international relation experts, politicians and other professionals in representation research.

Recommended Topics

• Global media coverage of poverty, war, natural catastrophe and elections in the global south 
• Aid organizations, media and the global south 
• Portrayal of African, Asian or South American politicians in the western media 
• Fake news and the representation of poor countries in the global media 
• Western media representation of democratization in the global south 
• International politics, diplomacy and media representations of the global south 
• Covering poverty and epidemics as a way of shaming under developed countries 
• Western media representation of primitivism in poor countries 
• Pan-Africanism and African media representation of African countries 
• Cultural affirmation and the deconstruction of negative image of the global south 
• Representation of emerging economies in the western media 
• American capitalism /vs/ African communalism western media 
• Western /vs/ non-western media representation of the global south (case studies are encouraged here) 
• Audiences perceptions of media representations of poor and developing countries 
• Representation of the global south on online platforms and advertising

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 14, 2019, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by February 29, 2019 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by May 15, 2019, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project. Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Networked Business Models in the Circular Economy. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-blind peer review editorial process. All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery®TM online submission manager.

Submit your proposal.

Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication:

Important Dates

February 14, 2019: Proposal Submission Deadline

February 28, 2019: Notification of Acceptance

May 15, 2019: Full Chapter Submission

July 13, 2019: Review Results Returned

August 24, 2019: Final Acceptance Notification

September 7, 2019: Final Chapter Submission.

Editor’s Contact:

Floribert Patrick C. Endong, Department of Theatre, Film and Carnival Studies, University of Calabar, Nigeria.

floribertendong@yahoo.com

Publisher: IGI Global