Moving the Marginalized to the Center

Dr. Carolyn M. Byerly is recognized internationally for her empirical studies and theoretical interventions. Throughout her career, she has presented influential theories, including the Model of Women’s Media Action, Reformulation Theory, and the Intersectional Political Economy of Media Theory. Her 59-nation study Global Report on the Status of Women in News Media remains the most expansive examination of women’s employment in journalism. Further, in her faculty position at Howard University she developed intersectional approaches to teaching, and student-faculty collaborations that advocate for federal communication policy addressing the lack of diversity in media ownership. Feminist discourse continues to demand fresh theory-of-knowledge interventions. By honoring Dr. Byerly’s impact on the field’s scholars and research, this festschrift frames and showcases the genial epistemologies pertinent, applicable, and relevant for situating feminist media studies in the pluriverse.

Unwana Samuel Akpan is a multidisciplinary media scholarpractitioner with over two decades of broadcast experience. He lectures in the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He is also the Editor of the University of Lagos Communication Review.