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Winter 2023 GLOBALSt 771

This course explores the politics of the Third World/Global South from an International Relations perspective. We will situate the various issues, events, and topics within a global political and economic context. Discussions will center on global political and economic processes that have shaped the current contours of the Global South, such as colonialism, the Cold War, development narratives, foreign aid and humanitarian intervention, neoliberal globalization, and the rise of BRICs as a global challenge to the North. The foregoing provides students with a critical lens to examine the ambiguities of the identity of the Global South. For whether referred to as the “Third World,” or other variants such as the “Developing World,” the “G-77,” the “Non-Aligned Movement,” or the “Post-colonial World,” a certain unity has long been assumed for the multitude of societies ranging from Central and South America, across Africa to much of Asia. Is it valid to speak of a Global South? The course begins with an investigation of the epistemological implications of studying the Global South/Third World. Therefore, an important part of the course will address the notion of an epistemology of the Global South: how do we know/study the Global South/Third World? What are the political implications of the knowledge production about the Global South? Next, the course investigates the impact of a number of global political and economic processes, briefly outlined above, such as colonialism and decolonization processes, the rise of Third World internationalism, modernization and development narratives, neoliberal globalization, security discourses (such as Cold War security politics, and the rise of humanitarian intervention and human security), the challenges posed by the changing current geopolitical framework with the emergence of BRICs.

Course: GLOBALST 771 / POL SCI 767 - Politics of the Global South: an International Relations Perspective

Archived?: No