Mohan Dutta: Culture-Centered Approach

In the glittering world of billionaire philanthropy, foundations wield an unparalleled power—a velvet-gloved fist that shapes global agendas, funnels billions into pet projects, and enforces a vision of the world that conveniently aligns with the donors' own interests. These institutions, often hailed as beacons of altruism, are in reality instruments of extraction, siphoning resources from the public sphere while gutting the ability of communities to organize, resist, and self-determine. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a behemoth that has positioned itself as the unelected arbiter of global health, education, and agriculture. But beneath the sheen of charitable intent lies a rotten core: corruption, abuse, and a neoliberal ideology that prioritizes profit and control over genuine empowerment. The recent release of three million pages of Jeffrey Epstein's files by the U.S. Justice Department—on January 30, 2026—lays bare the culture...

In a world where geopolitical tensions simmer just beneath the surface of diplomatic niceties, moments of rupture expose the fragile scaffolding of global institutions.  The ongoing crisis in Gaza, intertwined with the seismic shifts of the "Trumpian moment," has peeled back layers of deception in the so-called liberal international order. This revelation extends beyond politics into the realm of academia, particularly challenging bodies like the International Communication Association (ICA) to confront their embedded "I"—the illusion of true internationalism under North Atlantic, white, Western control.  For decades, ICA has peddled Canadian-European-Australian white hegemony as the international of the ICA. This definition of international has kept power intact in the hands of North Atlantic European whiteness while making claims to beyond US-centrism.  The hold of whiteness over the codes and terms of the international, very much reproducing the white supremacy o...

Greenland stands as a stark, frozen testament to overlapping layers of colonialism and imperialism—both European (Danish) and American (U.S.). Far from being a quaint Nordic administrative arrangement or a benign security partnership, the island's status reflects centuries of external domination, resource extraction, forced displacement, and strategic maneuvering that continue into 2026. The current crisis, fueled by Donald Trump's aggressive push to acquire or control Greenland during his second presidency, only lays bare what has long been true: this is dual imperialism at work, where Denmark's settler colonial legacy intersects with ongoing U.S. military and geopolitical dominance. Critically, Trump's naked show of power here is not exceptional; it represents a continued expansion of Euro-American white supremacy, rooted in historical patterns of racialized domination that view Indigenous lands as extensions of white entitlement. Danish Settler Colonialism: A Persist...

Figure: An image from CARE's "I Choose Highbury" campaign In Aotearoa New Zealand, the land of stunning landscapes and a purportedly egalitarian spirit, there's an undercurrent that often goes unspoken: a culture of mediocrity intertwined with whiteness that systematically sidelines bold, disruptive work—especially when it challenges the Pākehā status quo. This isn't just abstract theory; it's lived experience. Let me share a recent reflection from my own journey in academia, one that highlights how white privilege operates through funding panels, perpetuates mediocrity, and ultimately wastes resources while marginalizing brown excellence. The Grant Rejection: Praise from Peers, Dismissal from the Panel It started with a grant application to a major New Zealand funder. Our project proposal underwent external peer review, and the feedback was glowing. Reviewers lauded its methodological rigor, ambitious scope, theoretical relevance, novelty, and potential for r...