The Political Economy of Alternative Media

Jeppesen’s Political Economy of Alternative Media is a powerful investigation of how activists fromTokyo to São Paulo to Athens and beyond organize and sustain politically resistant media projects andhorizons within the economic conditions of digital capitalism. Building from the political economy ofcommunication tradition and forging a new intersectional activist media industries studies approach,the volume’s vibrant case studies track activist organization, funding and decision-making models,work and the division of labour, intersectional power relations, and media imaginaries. Refusing bothextreme techno-optimist and techno-pessimist assessments of social media and social movementactivism, Jeppesen and her research team illuminate the convergences and divergences betweendreary economic conditions and inspiring political ambitions, contemplating the constraints andpossibilities faced by activists making media try to change the world, for the better. This is essentialreading for alternative media scholars looking for a bold new typology, and for media activistsgrappling with what it means to resist within constraints. A vital resource for understanding howactivism is playing out within and against, and pointing beyond, the real conditions of digitalcapitalism.

Tanner Mirrlees, Professor of Communication and Digital Media Studies, author of Work inthe Digital Media and Entertainment Industries: A Critical Introduction

Political Economy of Alternative Media is a timely contribution to discussions about the changingstructures of alternative and independent media in a communication landscape increasinglydominated by large corporations. The book off ers analyticaly sound, empirically grounded refl ectionsabout the recent history of alternative media globally. "

Paola Sartoretto, associate professor in media and communication School of Education and Communication - Jönköping University, Sweden.

The Media Action Research Group’s book is a major study of the realities of left-wing media. Combining Critical Political Economy of the Media and participatory communicative action research for conducting 80 interviews in 11 countries, the study shows in a meticulous manner how the organisation, funding, labour, power, and imaginaries of such media work. This book is a must-read for everyone who cares about a better media world and saving democracy in the times of fake news and the new authoritarianism.

Prof. Christian Fuchs, author of Social Media: A Critical Introduction and Media, Economy and Society: A Critical Introduction

This is an impressively broad and deeply grounded exploration of alternative media, born of the Media Action Research Group’s engagement with 80 activists in 11 countries. It vividly captures a turbulent moment when global crises collided with innovations in activist media and uneasy encounters with corporate platforms. A timely and original contribution that will inspire scholars, students, and practitioners alike.

Emiliano Treré, Distinguished ATRAE Researcher, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain