Distinguished global media and communication scholar Bilge Yesil will deliver the upcoming annual NU-Q Lecture on the Global South on February 12, 2025. Titled “How (Not) to Decolonize: Theorizing Media and Communication from the Global South,” Yesil’s lecture will explore the evolving dynamics of media and communication, critically examining the process of decolonization and the complex relationship between perspectives and practices from the Global South and North.
This lecture is the second installment of the NU-Q Lecture on the Global South, a flagship series hosted by the Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South (#IAS_NUQ). The series shines a spotlight on pressing issues affecting the Global South, providing a platform for dialogue and offering the Northwestern Qatar community valuable insights into topics of global significance. Through these lectures, the institute aims to foster critical thinking and discussions on the most critical challenges shaping the world today.
Yesil’s talk will explore how shifts in economic, geopolitical, and technological landscapes have increasingly amplified voices from the Global South, simultaneously challenging the historical dominance of narratives from the Global North. She will discuss the ongoing efforts by actors from the Global South to democratize and decolonize the media landscape, examining how these efforts intersect with political agendas and the influence of global capital.
“Bilge Yesil’s work embodies the spirit of inquiry and engagement that defines Northwestern Qatar. With her global approach, grounding in primary sources, her theoretical sophistication, her language skills, and her overall academic excellence, she personifies the Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South’s core values.”
“Bilge Yesil’s work embodies the spirit of inquiry and engagement that defines Northwestern Qatar. With her global approach, grounding in primary sources, her theoretical sophistication, her language skills, and her overall academic excellence, she personifies the Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South’s core values. Her lecture will offer vital insights into the complexities of decolonization and media’s role in global power dynamics, contributing to our understanding of these critical issues,” said Marwan M. Kraidy, dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar.
“At Northwestern Qatar, we are committed to advancing intellectual engagement that reflects truly global experiences and perspectives. We aim to inspire dialogue on the most pressing global challenges, and Dr. Yesil’s exploration of media and power perfectly aligns with our focus on advancing critical knowledge production on the Global South.”
A leading scholar in the field of global communication, Yesil’s research spans global media systems, authoritarianism, and internet policy. A professor of Media Culture at the College of Staten Island and holds, she is also an affiliate faculty member in Middle Eastern Studies at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. She is also the author of Talking Back to the West: How Turkey Uses Counter-Hegemony to Reshape the Global Communication Order (2024), and co-editor of The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East (2023).
The NU-Q Lecture on the Global South with Yesil will take place on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. in the Events Hall at Northwestern Qatar’s campus, followed by a reception at 6:30 p.m.
For more information about the NU-Q Lecture on the Global South and other #IAS_NUQ programs, visit https://www.qatar.northwestern.edu/events/2025-ias-colloquium-bilge.html
