Politics of the Global South: an International Relations Perspective

This course explores the politics of the Third World from an International Relations perspective. We will therefore proceed by situating the various issues, events, and topics within a global political and economic context. Discussions will centre around 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.