Representations of ‘the local’ in British colonial and contemporary business media (1850s–2010s): The case of Cameroon's forests and forestlands

Printed business media, such as daily newspapers and periodicals, historically played a central role in public understanding of the colonial enterprise. They informed and shaped the view of entrepreneurial activities, often with the effect of legitimising the colonial project. We explore representations of ‘the local’ within business media, how these have changed (or not) over time, and the mechanisms that facilitate the stickiness of representations. By unpacking historic media, we can gain insights into how colonial narratives, and the systemic inequalities they produce, persist today. We focus our study on Cameroon's forests and forestlands, home to diverse indigenous and local communities, through the lens of four prominent British business media publications (The Economist, The Guardian, The Observer and The Times ). We employ a critical political economy perspective to inductively analyse representations of ‘the local’ in these publications . More than 1800 articles were screened, and a total of 303 articles, covering a time span from the 1850s to the early 2010s, were analysed in depth using critical discourse analysis. Results demonstrate four main themes that legitimise and justify exploitation of ‘the local’ within the British business media: Comparing , Centring , Controlling and Fearing . We further identify Decentring as an emerging theme that hints at decoloniality. Whilst narratives of ‘the local’ within the British business media landscape appear to begin deconstructing historic power inequalities through time, this occurs behind many hidden nuances and justifications. Ultimately, exploitation and marginalisation of ‘the local’ persist through time, however their form is remoulded as perhaps a reassurance to the colonial conscience.