(Re)visiting African communication scholarship: critical perspectives on research and theory

ABSTRACT The study of communication in Africa, much like the continent, has been the subject of controversy and consternation, with widely changing fortunes that wax and wane at different times. Africa’s colonial experience and the imposition of Western communication constructs inform the theoretical and methodological approaches to African communication scholarship. This essay examines the accomplishments of African communication scholarship attained out of a long history of engagement with intellectual debates about de-Westernization. We discuss how African communication scholars can foreground their commitment to maintaining the integrity of African scholarship in advancing African perspectives in communication studies.