In the Shadow of the Global North unpacks the historical, cultural, and institutional forces that organize and circulate journalistic narratives in Africa to show that something complex is unfolding in the postcolonial context of global journalistic landscapes, especially the relationships between cosmopolitan and national journalistic fields. Departing from the typical discourse about journalistic depictions of Africa, j. Siguru Wahutu turns our focus to the underexplored journalistic representations created by African journalists reporting on African countries. In assessing news narratives and the social context within which journalists construct these narratives, Wahutu captures not only the marginalization of African narratives by African journalists but opens up an important conversation about what it means to be an African journalist, an African news organization, and African in the postcolony.

Winner, 2025 Global Division Outstanding book Award, Society for the Study of Social Problems

‘In In the Shadow of the Global North, James Wahutu has produced a deeply provocative intellectual piece that meticulously illuminates the normative character and role of African journalism in the construction of knowledge about Africa. The book provides an alluringly sharp, and arguably fresh empirical and conceptual direction into the debates around the representations of Africa by uniquely centring and projecting the role of African journalists and experiences in ways that emphatically challenge, and rebuff entrenched (Western) conceptions of media representations of Africa, even as it draws on Western sociological theory. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in rethinking existing discourses on the representation of Africa in the news media.’

Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara - School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK

‘Wahutu’s remarkable, original contribution is long-overdue - African journalism and journalism scholarship has for too long been colonized by scholars who would impose colonialist, paternalistic pathologies rather than appreciating its contribution as ‘just different.’ This deftly researched and theoretically-rich scholarship simultaneously makes the case for the importance of sovereignty and recognition of the African journalistic tradition while also identifying the complicity African journalists have in silencing African voices and reifying narratives of ethnic conflict, marginalization, and helplessness.’

Nikki Usher - author of News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism

‘This book as it stands makes an important contribution to scholarship. In suggesting that African journalism consists of layered fields of practice, it sets the stage for future research to explore the complexities of this region’s news production in more depth and shows how journalism studies can thoroughly engage field theory in future studies … In the Shadow of the Global North is an important book for journalism scholars and students. Graduate students will find it useful especially for its overview of African journalism and description of how journalists covered an important event and scholars will benefit from the rich insights into the complexity of postcolonial journalism fields in the contemporary world.’

Ruth Moon Source: Journalism & Mass Communication Quaterly

‘In this exceptional and engaging book, j. Siguru Wahutu centers African journalism for Africans, examining not only what African journalism fields are but also what they do and how they do it. Drawing on years of in-depth interviews, fieldwork, and content analysis, In the Shadow artfully illustrates how colonial legacies continue to shape African reporting on atrocities on the continent, resulting in a vital call to re-think journalism scholarship as well as pathbreaking contributions for peace and conflict studies.’

Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira - Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University

‘As an African journalist living in Africa and frequently writing for publications based in the Global North, Wahutu's book has challenged me to critique my own notions of what I think ‘good journalism’ is, and to expand my convictions of what it can be.’

Christine Mungai - Baraza Media Lab

‘The significance of the book is its attempt to understand why African journalists frame and present their continent in the same way as the Global North journalists and news organizations. The postulation that underpins this discussion is that journalism practiced in Africa is rooted in the Global North journalism culture and practice. This journalism is characterized by the marginalization of African voices. The argument is that a different kind of journalism - or simply put, African journalism - could provide something different, particularly in how African issues are framed and presented.’

Albert Sharra Source: African Studies Review