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International Politics of the Global South

Module description

This module will introduce you to the historical construction and evolution of what has come to be called the Global South – formerly known as the ‘Third World’ and the ‘developing countries’ – starting from the processes of colonisation, decolonisation and postcolonial state- and nation-building. You will learn about the position and roles that this varying and heterogeneous grouping of states has had within international politics and the global economy, both during and after the Cold War. Secondly, theories of International Relations (IR) that pay particular attention to the Global South will be critically discussed, including structuralist/dependency/international political economy (IPE) approaches, subaltern realism, and postcolonial and decolonial theories. Consideration will also be given to non-Western contributions to IR and the related problems of sociology of knowledge in the discipline. Finally, thematic sessions will be devoted to understanding the shared or varying features of foreign policy, security and regionalism in the Global South, as well as the Global South’s impact on the global governance of the economy, climate change and migration. No pre-requisites or prior experience needed.

Module aims - intentions of the module

1) To introduce students to the historical construction and evolution of the Global South in international politics

2) To critically discuss theories of International Relations (IR) that pay particular attention to the Global South as well as non-Western contributions to IR

3) To identify key features of foreign policy, security and regionalism in the Global South, as well as the Global South’s impact on the global governance

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a contextualised understanding of the historical evolution of the Global South in international politics as well as the key contemporary features of foreign policy, security, regionalism and global governance in/from these areas;
• 2. Demonstrate the capacity to critically situate and engage with IR theories that deal with the Global South, originating from both the Global South itself and the Western mainstream/core of the discipline;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Find, use and analyse secondary and primary data relevant to specific issues in politics and IR;
• 4. Place contemporary political issues in larger contexts;
• 5. Deploy critical arguments in analysing political issues and evaluating sources;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Work independently and in a group, including the presentation of material for group discussion;
• 7. Demonstrate analytical skills and the ability to digest, select and organise material;
• 8. Demonstrate writing skills including the ability to produce well organised and coherent essays to a deadline, practice in articulating and defending positions on tutorial topics.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Colonialism, decolonisation and postcolonial state- and nation-building
• The ‘Third World’ and non-alignment during the Cold War
• (Under)development, ‘developing countries’ (G-77) and foreign aid
• Post-Cold War and neoliberal globalisation
• IR theories: structuralism/dependency/international political economy (IPE), subaltern realism, postcolonial and decolonial theories
• Foreign policies of ‘dependent’/’weak’/’peripheral’ states of the Global South
• Security: violent conflicts and intervention, representations of failed states
• Regionalism in the Global South and South-South cooperation
• The impact of the Global South on global governance: economic governance, climate change
• Global migration governance and South-North relations

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

• Acharya, A. (2014) Rethinking Power, Institutions and Ideas in World Politics: Whose IR? (Oxon/New York: Routledge).
• Acharya, A. and B. Buzan (eds.) (2010) Non-Western International Relations Theory: Perspectives On and Beyond Asia (Oxon/New York: Routledge).
• Alejandro, A. (2018) Western Dominance in International Relations? The Internationalisation of IR in Brazil and India (Oxon/New York: Routledge).
• Ayoob, M. (1995) The Third World Security Predicament: State Making, Regional Conflict, and the International System (London: Lynne Rienner).
• Bergamaschi, I., P. Moore and A.B. Tickner (2017) South-South Cooperation Beyond The Myths: Rising Donors, New Aid Practices? (New York: Palgrave Macmillan).
• Betts, A. (ed.) (2011) Global Migration Governance (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
• Braveboy-Wagner, J.A. (ed.) (2003) The Foreign Policies of the Global South: Rethinking Conceptual Frameworks (Boulder/London: Lynne Rienner).
• Braveboy-Wagner, J.A. (ed.) (2009) Institutions of the Global South (Oxon/New York: Routledge).
• Braveboy-Wagner, J.A. (ed.) (2016) Diplomatic Strategies of Nations in the Global South: The Search for Leadership (New York: Palgrave Macmillan).
• Burnell, P., L. Rakner and V. Randall (eds.) (2017) Politics in the Developing World (5^th ed.) (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
• Chan, S. (2017) Plural International Relations in a Divided World (Cambridge: Polity Press).
• Chimni, B.S. and S. Mallavarapu (2012) International Relations: Perspectives for the Global South (New Delhi: Pearson).
• Cox, R.W. (ed.) (1997) The New Realism: Perspectives on Multilateralism and World Order (Tokyo/Hampshire: United Nations University Press/Macmillan).
• Fanta, E., T.M. Shaw and V.T. Tang (eds.) (2013) Comparative Regionalisms for Development in the 21^st Century: Insights from the Global South (Oxon/New York: Routledge).
• McMahon, R.J. (ed.) (2013) The Cold War in the Third World (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
• Nagar, D. and C. Mutasa (eds.) (2018) Africa and the World: Bilateral and Multilateral International Diplomacy (New York: Palgrave Macmillan).
• Peters, I. and W. Wemheuer-Vogelaar (eds.) (2016) Globalizing International Relations: Scholarship Amidst Divides and Diversity (New York: Palgrave Macmillan).
• Sabaratnam, M. (2017) Decolonising Intervention: International Statebuilding in Mozambique (London: Rowman & Littlefield).
• Seth, S. (ed.) (2013) Postcolonial Theory and International Relations: A Critical Introduction (Oxon/New York: Routledge).
• Tickner, A.B. and Ole Wæver (eds.) (2009) International Relations Scholarship around the World: Worlding Beyond the West (Oxon/New York: Routledge).
• Tickner, A.B. and K. Smith (eds.) (2020) International Relations from the Global South: Worlds of Difference (Oxon/New York: Routledge).
• Warner, J. and T.M. Shaw (eds.) (2018) African Foreign Policies in International Institutions (New York: Palgrave Macmillan).
• Wright, S. (ed.) (1999) African Foreign Policies (Boulder: Westview Press).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

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Key words search

International relations, Global South, Third World, decolonisation, development, foreign policy, security, regionalism, global governance