The Podcaster's Dilemma Decolonizing Podcasters in the Era of Surveillance Capitalism

Baham and Higdon seek to advance our understanding of podcasting as a space of decolonization across a broad spectrum of social, cultural, and political settings. They connect contemporary podcasting to broader histories involving the use of radio technology in the service of anti-colonial struggle.  The Podcasters’ Dilemma is a vast study that investigates the ways in which decolonial podcasters engage in the processes of interrogation and critique, counter-narrative, and action. Their findings reveal both promise and vulnerabiltiies in the podcasting space, and the threat posed by surveillance capitalism and the emerging podcast oligopoly, which they refer to as the “the podcaster’s’ dilemma."

Dr Nicholas L. Baham III is Professor of Ethnic Studies at California State University East Bay where he teaches courses in Black Studies and Genders & Sexualities in Communities of Color. His research, publications, teaching, and professional conference presentations focus on alternative Black cultural, spiritual, and sexual experiences; Jazz Studies; James Baldwin; Comparative Ethnic Studies; and Afrofuturism.

Dr. Nolan Higdon is an author and university lecturer of history and media studies at California State University East Bay. His research focus is on digital culture, news media history, and critical media literacy. He is a founding member of the Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

1 Meet the Hosts 15

2 Interrogation and Critique 42

3 Counter-narrative Production 80

4 Community Activism 110

5 Recolonizing Podcasts: Moving beyond the Frontiers of Instrumentarianism 131

Index 147