Mohan Dutta: Culture-Centered Approach

The rise of the far-right globally is intertwined with the globally networked power of libertarian think tanks, funded at the base by the global extractive industries . In this blog post, through an analysis of the disinformation-based campaign I have personally experienced since October 2023 mobilised by the communicative ecosystem of the Free Speech Union (FSU), I will attend to the lifecycle of disinformation in libertarian networks, arguing that the disinformation ecosystem is invested in upholding both white supremacy and extractive capital. The FSU’s investment in disinformation I argue that the FSU is invested in producing and circulating disinformation. In response to my analysis of the hypocrisy of the Free Speech Union (FSU) that positions itself as a champion of free speech in Aotearoa while one of its co-founders, council members and spokespersons David Cumin (who is also one of the key actors representing Israel Institute of New Zealand) actively targets the freedom of a...

The material violence of settler colonialism is intricately intertwined with symbolic violence. Colonization reproduces itself through violent erasure. Accounts of colonial violence must be systematically erased to justify, legitimize, and uphold the perpetual violence of colonization. We are seeing this interplay between colonial violence and erasure unfold on our screens in real time as the Zionist propaganda apparatus works to systematically erase accounts of the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza. As Palestinian voices from Gaza, connected with Palestinian voices across the diaspora, and in solidarity with diverse voices of the global majority rise up in resistance to the settler colonial narrative predicated on whiteness, the propaganda infrastructure of Zionism, working hand-in-hand with the propaganda infrastructure of white supremacy, is organized systematically to silence these voices. In Gaza, journalists witnessing and documenting the genocide are murdered....

Executive Committee of the Legislative Assembly National Communication Association (NCA) Cc: Executive Director, NCA November 21, 2023 Dear colleagues, We are writing this email to express our deep concern about the censorship of the speech of Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb , Professor of media studies at California State University, San Bernardino, to be delivered as part of the Presidential Address at the National Communication Association Convention on November 18, 2023. In preparing for the event, Professor Muhtaseb sent her speech in English to the NCA President on November 13, and no objections or concerns were raised regarding her speech. On November 18, when Professor Muhtaseb went to rehearse her speech at the venue, she was told that her speech was not acceptable because of the use of terms such as “genocide” and “colonization,” noting that this might cause damage to the reputation of the organization. Once the other speakers scheduled to speak in the session as part of the Presidential ...