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I was pleased to present at the 16th Annual IIPPE Conference in Political Economy, held in Lisbon and jointly hosted by Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon and ICS – Lisbon University. The conference explored Capitalism Moving Beyond Neoliberalism: Crises, Changes, and What Comes Next
My presentation, “Decolonising Advertising Through Passive Activism: Challenging Colonial Thinking and Practice in Mexican Advertising,” drew on my practice-based research and the RacismoNeon campaign.
I explored how carefully targeted, visually strategic and non-aggressive interventions can challenge racial exclusion in advertising. Rather than relying solely on disruption, this approach—what I call passive activism—uses communication to provoke reflection, stimulate professional dialogue and encourage institutional change.
The presentation offered a case study of how advertising’s own tools can be repurposed to challenge the colonial visual logics that shape who is represented as successful, desirable and socially visible.
Thank you to the IIPPE Activism, Film and Media Working Group, fellow panellists and audience members for the thoughtful discussion. I welcome connections with researchers, creative-industry practitioners and organisations interested in decolonial communication, anti-racist advertising, media representation and practice-based research.
More info on IIPPE is here:
iippe.org
#IIPPE2026 #PoliticalEconomy #Advertising #DecolonisingAdvertising #MediaRepresentation #AntiRacism #Semiotics #PracticeBasedResearch #AcademicResearch #PublicEngagement
My presentation, “Decolonising Advertising Through Passive Activism: Challenging Colonial Thinking and Practice in Mexican Advertising,” drew on my practice-based research and the RacismoNeon campaign.
I explored how carefully targeted, visually strategic and non-aggressive interventions can challenge racial exclusion in advertising. Rather than relying solely on disruption, this approach—what I call passive activism—uses communication to provoke reflection, stimulate professional dialogue and encourage institutional change.
The presentation offered a case study of how advertising’s own tools can be repurposed to challenge the colonial visual logics that shape who is represented as successful, desirable and socially visible.
Thank you to the IIPPE Activism, Film and Media Working Group, fellow panellists and audience members for the thoughtful discussion. I welcome connections with researchers, creative-industry practitioners and organisations interested in decolonial communication, anti-racist advertising, media representation and practice-based research.
More info on IIPPE is here:
iippe.org
#IIPPE2026 #PoliticalEconomy #Advertising #DecolonisingAdvertising #MediaRepresentation #AntiRacism #Semiotics #PracticeBasedResearch #AcademicResearch #PublicEngagement
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