Decolonial Methods in Podcast Production Studies: Reflections From Practice-Led Research

This article presents and discusses qualitative decolonial methods to research the production of podcasts. Examining podcast production as a global field of study rooted in American/Western logic we discuss how researchers may experiment with new methods and approaches to analyzing podcast production that challenge such roots. We present and discuss the use of decolonial and embodied methodologies and theoretical approaches to podcast studies as a way to promote methods of inquiry that take full advantage of podcasting as an aural medium. We ask our readers to consider questions such as, how may feminist-inspired embodied listening help us better grasp the potential of podcast productions? How can we build critical methods of inquiry for podcasting that favor intentional listening and audio coding while using qualitative data analysis software? How may we build intrinsically inclusive methodologies so that researchers can shed light on the truly diverse set of actors engaging in podcast production today? Our analysis draws upon reflections from our work as educators, scholars, and podcasters and offers a brief overview of the works of other leading scholars in the field.