De-Westernizing African Journalism Curriculum Through Glocalization and Hybridization

Abstract

Over several decades, scholars have questioned the multilateralism of journalism education on the grounds that journalism education adopts a dominant paradigm that renders it predominantly Western. The argument, however, is polarized; on one hand, some scholars have proposed a de-Westernization of journalism education, on the other hand, a dissenting opinion argues that global journalism curriculum is multilateral. Despite several attempts by scholars and international organizations, specifically, the UNESCO, through the International Programme for Development of Communication (IPDC), to de-Westernize journalism curriculum, remnants of the dominant paradigm still persist. I concede that striking attempts have been made to de-Westernize and glocalize journalism curriculum; therefore, my central argument hinges on the thesis that instead of resisting and discarding the UNESCO model, and other Western influences, reformation and adaptation through glocalization and hybridization is encouraged. As such, this article conceptualizes and concretizes practical application of glocalization through a collaborative venture between a U.S.-based scholar and Ugandan scholars in developing a locally congruent curriculum for a brand new journalism program at a university in Uganda.