Professor Paloma Mohamed’s Communication, Power and Change in the Caribbean (Get Copy Here) is a rare thing in regional scholarship: a work that treats “communication” not as media trivia or messaging tactics, but as a form of power that actively shapes who gets heard, who benefits, and how societies change. Drawn from multi-level analysis across Caribbean contexts, Mohamed argues that communicative power—our stories, symbols, and everyday acts of meaning-making—sits at the heart of social and economic outcomes. When communicative power is uneven, inequality widens; when it is broadened, communities can reorganise for fairer futures.
What the book covers
Mohamed examines how communicative artefacts—speeches, policy texts, popular culture, grassroots campaigns—circulate among elites, institutions, and ordinary citizens, and how these flows enable or block reform. The approach is resolutely actor-oriented and holistic, moving beyond “media effects” to track real political and development consequences in Caribbean life.
Why it matters for Guyana
For Guyanese readers, the book offers a practical lens on our own debates—from extractives and local content, to language politics, to community consultation in hinterland regions. Mohamed’s central claim—that communication is a decisive lever of inclusion or marginalisation—speaks directly to how our policies land in villages, town halls, and online spaces. It gives language (and tools) to evaluate whether our communication ecosystems amplify citizen voice or merely recycle elite narratives.
Style and accessibility
Although theoretically grounded, the writing is clear, with case-based reasoning that policy students, media practitioners, and civil society organisers can use. It’s not a “how-to” manual; it’s a framework you can apply—from designing a village meeting to assessing a ministry’s outreach plan.
Standout insights
Communicative power predicts other power. Where citizens lack channels to set agendas and frame problems, material inequality deepens. This reframes communication as infrastructure, not an afterthought.
Change requires rebalancing meaning-making. Durable reform happens when marginalised groups gain stable platforms—cultural, digital, institutional—to define issues on their own terms.
Edition notes
The widely available paperback edition is published by Hansib Publications (ISBN-13: 978-1906190637), with listings indicating a 2013 release—useful for sourcing in the region.
The ThingsGuyana verdict
Essential. If you work anywhere near policy, media, education, or community development in Guyana, this book belongs on your desk. Mohamed—herself a long-standing Guyanese scholar and communications strategist—provides the Caribbean with an original, rigorous framework for diagnosing power and designing change that includes, rather than excludes, its people.
Who should read it
- Public officials crafting consultations and national campaigns
- Journalists and creators shaping public narratives
- Civil society and Indigenous leaders organising for voice and visibility
- University courses in communication, governance, and development
Score: 9/10 — A foundational Caribbean text that upgrades “communications” from PR to power, and hands Guyana a sharper toolkit for inclusive change.
