Global South Research Articles

Whither Global South’s Copyright Scholar(ship): Lost in the “Citation Game”?

Whither Global South’s Copyright Scholar(ship): Lost in the “Citation Game”?

Conceptualizing E-Persona through self-branding strategies on Fiverr

Technological advancement led to the emergence of an ‘Online Labor Market’ establishing non-conventional work relationships between individuals and clients. Despite the flexibility of work, Demirel and the team identified hierarchical positioning of gig workers into the Global North and South. Furthermore, the online labor market does not provide a meritocratic space for freelancers. Conversely, freelancers in different countries encounter symbolic violence . Likewise, Gussek and Wiesche also highlight the role of algorithmic management constituting power asymmetries such as geographical, racial and gender-based discrimination of freelancers. Munoz adds further that the algorithmic material agency also deconstructs the active representation of the freelancer’s self in a digital context termed as e-persona. Consequently, a freelancer performs strategies such as self-branding to participate in the visibility games of the Online Labor Market. This study investigated the Self-branding strategies performed by Pakistani freelancers to counter the nested precarities of visibility and power asymmetries operating on Fiverr. The data was collected in the form of an asynchronous online survey. The questions were designed to attain freelancers’ demographics, opinion and behavior. The responses were analyzed in the light of Dramaturgical theory to understand self-branding as a ‘manner’ or role taken by freelancers as actors. The findings revealed five major self-branding strategies considered pivotal for consistent performance and enhanced visibility in a freelance marketplace. Furthermore, the researchers were able to identify a career trajectory for freelancers in specific domains of service. The researchers encourage intensive research on digital labor platforms for an improved understanding of the online labor market.

Decolonizing Urban Planning Research in Global South: A Call for Shifting the Gaze

Given that urban planning has served colonial and imperialist purposes, this commentary explores the existing challenges for early-career researchers conducting research designed in the Global North and carried out in/on the Global South. We offer a series of questions and provocations as an invitation to colleagues facing similar dilemmas to reflect on their own research from a decolonial methodological critique (theory, practice, and politics). We aim to broaden the questions that should be asked when choosing to study marginalized communities, with the hope that these reflections can shift the gaze and move research toward more just and rewarding practices.

Can data visualization storytelling in energy communication campaigns ingrain farmers’ intentions to use agrivoltaic system? Evidence from global south

Purpose Innovative technologies pave the way to address alarming global climate issues. Among these technologies is the expansion of renewable and clean energy in farming, which aims to meet the global cheap energy demand and, at the same time, replace fossil fuels. In pursuant to this, agrivoltaic technology is an innovation that provides sustainable and low-cost production solutions to diminish the adversities associated with climate change and global warming. However, farmers from developing nations remain unacquainted or unenthusiastic about adopting such sustainable technologies. Therefore, in response to these key challenges related to climate change, this study aims to provide the utility of communication resources to inspire climate-friendly behaviors among farmers. Design/methodology/approach This study used a cross-sectional field survey method for data collection from 992 farmers. Findings The results verified that using data visualization storytelling in communication campaigns could significantly enhance farmers’ public understanding of adopting renewable technologies. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, results highlighted the importance of communication strategies in a downward spiral of ongoing challenges of optimal climate protection, counteracting rebound effects and reducing carbon emissions. Practical implications The novel contribution of this research by examining the data visualization storytelling in climate and energy communication campaigns paved the way for social marketers to develop a straightforward and user-friendly platform for implementing innovative renewable technologies. Originality/value This research underpinned a novel approach that remains understudied to understand how data visualization storytelling supports renewable technology adoption. Furthermore, it addressed the timely call for research on how data visualization storytelling can assist in achieving UNSD goals 12 and 13 by promoting renewable technologies among the farmers from the neglected area of the Global South.

Last-mile household preparedness for future disasters: a study of flooding in Kogi State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT There are a number of studies that analyze flood preparedness in communities of the global south. However, only a few studies have investigated flood preparedness in underserved communities with heightened vulnerability. This paper analyzed household preparedness against future floods in Kogi State Last-Mile Communities (LMCs) using 14 indicators and employed chi-square statistics to examine whether households’ socioeconomic characteristics influence their preparedness for future floods. Results show that across the LMCs in the study area, the preparedness against future floods depends on the gender of household heads. While access to flood sensitization resources from responsible agencies is poor, household heads remain a major source of flood education to LMCs. Recommendations and implications for harnessing local-level flood resilience and preparedness are discussed in this paper.

Urban Open Space Systems and Green Cities: History, Heritage, and All That

More than half the world’s population live in cities1. According to UN Habitat, we are rapidly approaching the time when five billion people will live in cities, and by 2050 this could be 7.5 billion, with much of the growth concentrated in the global south. The context for this paper is how urban growth is linked to notions of community values which cross-link to concepts of heritage. Urban places are where the majority of the world’s population lives and will increasingly do so. Inextricably linked to this proposition is that urban places are where community memories, identity and sense of place are inherent, and here is the link with heritage. What do these paces mean to us? Are there regional, national and international differences? Parallel with these ideas of urban heritage is the sense of place and attachment people have for green spaces in cities and the incremental loss of green spaces. This prompts the question of how this phenomenon has stimulated scholarly and professional attention on the concept of greening cities. Underpinning the inquiry is an understanding of how urban green growth has become regarded as critical to the well-being of people in urban areas. Central to such concerns is the role of people and their social and cultural values which shape how they see their cities. Notable also is how there has been growing concern for urban conservation since the 1990s and the need to understand cities as people spaces, not just collections of buildings. Discourse on cities as spaces for people has its roots in, and builds on, a paradigm shift in innovative thinking and concepts in the twentieth century which has continued into the twenty-first century. Mindful of this background, the paper opens with a review of the historical background to these concerns on the premise that the past is not always a foreign country2. It then moves into consideration of heritage values and the role of landscape and what we mean by values. This consideration is central to the paper and moves into an overview of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach as new approaches and tools for urban conservation came into play.

Editorial: special issue on digital economy in the global south

Editorial: special issue on digital economy in the global south

Shifting Equilibria: A New Framework Assessing Changing Power Dynamics Between the Global North and Global South

The disparity between the Global South and the Global North has gained prominence in classifying countries according to economic, social, and governance characteristics rather than historical links. Historically, the Global North has long been regarded as the dominant group of nations, far outperforming Global South countries; however, several Global South nations now surpass and outperform the Global North nations in multiple measures. Traditional measures like GDP per capita often overlook the intricate leadership dynamics essential for understanding developments in both regions. This study presents a novel approach to evaluating global leadership transitions, including economic performance, social mobility, and governance structures, by expanding on the Global South Leadership (GSL) Index. By averaging scores of 18 indices for 192 countries, scatter plots are created to identify relationships and trends between Global North and South countries and among the regions within. This study extrapolates why some Global South countries are overperforming and others are underperforming, and the ones that have overcome obstacles and become role models for other Global South, as well as for Global North countries.

Vocational education and training: just transitions in the global south and north

ABSTRACT The paper calls for an expansive conceptualisation of VET that moves beyond instrumentalism, stressing the needs of employers and labour market. The global south has been marginalsed in VET, as have climate emergency, race and ethnicity. These concerns rest alongside a literature addressing ‘just transitions’. The paper is framed by a series of conceptual steps, initially engaging with the social construction of VET in the global north, specifically Europe. It relates these to policy science and scholarship arguing doxic constructions have difficulty in accommodating wagelessness and those labouring in informal economies of the global south. Discussions of just transitioning serve to challenge doxic constructions of VET rooted in waged labour. The section Anthropocene and Capitalocene argues that dominant constructions are complicit in unsustainable practices but could be more than this. The next section engages with the World Economic Forum (WEF) focusing on debates about education, sustainability and green agendas. This is followed by an examination of speeches of leading English politicians that reprise previous themes but also reflect realpolitik and the pursuit of political advantage. The Complexity that is VET concludes the paper, noting that VET is both a resource and site of struggle set within a specific socio-economic context.

South African Geography educators’ contributions to Geography Education: A perspective from the 35th International Geographical Congress, Dublin City University, Ireland, August 2024

A key responsibility of academic scholarship is to contribute to and further develop the field of enquiry. This paper offers a critical qualitative reflection on how South African Geography Education (GE) scholars are contributing to and advancing the field of enquiry from the perspective of the International Geographical Congress (IGC). This event, held every four years, is the largest gathering of geography scholars and researchers in some 43 commissions, one of which is GE, in the world. The two-part analysis provides an overview of who is producing knowledge and where it is being produced in the Global North and Global South. This is followed by a thematic analysis of the abstracts of the South African papers. The findings affirm the scholarly contribution our scholars are making to the field individually and in collaboration with colleagues and postgraduate students. Secondly, the findings reveal an unevenness in terms of who is contributing, and it highlights constraining factors impeding participation. The paper concludes by making some tentative propositions on a future research agenda that may help to advance the field and how constraining factors may be addressed so that we cultivate a stronger, more inclusive, Global South voice in the field.

Contextualising the WHO Global Research Agenda on Health, Migration and Displacement in Norway invites to a reflection for decolonising research

Migrants and displaced persons are ubiquitously present, yet there is insufficient evidence and strategies to provide sustainable, equitable healthcare to these populations globally. Migration and health research has primarily been led by researchers in the Global North (GN), resulting in selective focus that can pose challenges in prioritizing socially relevant questions, and framing migration as a geographically fragmented problem without globally implementable solutions. This power disbalance has recently been termed “colonialisation of research”. The WHO, through an equitable process including the GN and Global South (GS), released the “Global Research Agenda on Health, Migration and Displacement” (Agenda) in 2023 to strengthen globally fair research and translate priorities into policy and practice. WHO invites all countries to contextualise the Agenda´s core research themes and identify national gaps and priorities. With this purpose, the National Research Network for Migration and Health held a workshop in Bergen, Norway, in April 2024. The Norwegian priorities were compared to those from the WHO Agenda and discussed in light of decolonisation of research. Norwegian research priorities align with the WHO Agenda but differ in focus due to national context. Contextualizing the WHO Agenda to specific countries, such as Norway, highlights the need for local relevance while addressing global inequities in research and can, unintentionally, maintain the unresolved challenge of colonialism in research. Future research should critically examine the epistemological and ideological underpinnings of migration and health research to ensure equitable outcomes.

‘Exhibit Asia’ and its Deconstruction through Collaborative Online Learning

Abstract In 2022, the Centre for Global South Asia (CGSA) at Royal Holloway University of London developed a small research project entitled ‘Exhibit Asia’. The aim was to explore the use of exhibitions in nation-making in postcolonial South and East Asia in contrast to the scholarly preoccupation with investigating the region’s history of museums and exhibitions primarily in a colonial context. Its academic outcomes were to be a conference and related publication; but we also wanted our research to be relevant to our students. The resulting intervention in the teaching and learning of history took the form of a curatorial fellowship for an international cohort of ten students from Taiwan, Japan, India, Pakistan and the UK, leading to a co-curated online exhibition. The first section of this article sets out the development, design and delivery of the fellowship and discusses the viability and relevance of such projects. The subsequent three sections are co-authored by several of the participating students. They outline their methods, reflections and learnings; share their insights on the role of exhibitions in perceptions of Asia in the UK today; and analyse responses to ‘Tea and Tigers’, the online exhibition that was the outcome of the fellowship.

Digital financial literacy and financial inclusion in the global south for a sustainable future: A scoping review

Digital financial literacy and financial inclusion in the global south for a sustainable future: A scoping review

Bearing the Burden: Understanding the Multifaceted Impact of Energy Poverty on Women

Energy poverty has evolved into a topic of global concern affecting both developing and developed countries. Energy poverty deprives the potential of numerous women to participate in family, communal, and economic activities. While energy poverty is a commonly studied subject, the existing literature often overlooks its gender dimension, specifically the effects on women. This systematic review aims to fill the current research lacuna by shedding light on the multifaceted consequences faced by women due to energy poverty. To this end, numerous articles from Scopus and Web of Science are fully analysed. The findings demonstrate the impacts on multiple aspects of women’s lives, such as health, emotional well-being, income, increased workload, and the perpetuation of inequality. Though the challenges seem a bit different in the Global South and North from a boarder perspective, coherent policies that enhance women’s empowerment with economic opportunities could minimize the potential risk of energy poverty. The review underlines the urgency of integrating a gender perspective, emphasising the necessity of interdisciplinary methods that connect energy and gender studies differently in both the Global North and South. The finding also highlights the role of socio-economic conditions, cultural norms, and the division of labour in increasing women’s vulnerability. This review highlights the crucial significance of gender-inclusive approaches in understanding and tackling energy poverty.

Promoting Equity Between the Global North and Global South in Entomological Research.

Promoting Equity Between the Global North and Global South in Entomological Research.

COVID-19 fear and ethnocentrism in the global south: A cross-cultural analysis

COVID-19 fear and ethnocentrism in the global south: A cross-cultural analysis

Linking the blue economy to Women's empowerment to create avenues for the realization of ocean sustainability targets in the global south

Linking the blue economy to Women's empowerment to create avenues for the realization of ocean sustainability targets in the global south

Cochrane rehabilitation: 2022 annual report

Cochrane Rehabilitation bridges rehabilitation research and the Cochrane community to enhance evidence dissemination and research quality. The year 2022 marked its sixth anniversary with a revision of its mission, vision, and goals. Knowledge translation towards the global south and health policymakers, and research education will be focused more. Key activities included the transition to project-based work, extensive review and tagging of rehabilitation literature, and publication of “Cochrane Corners.” In addition, it focused on global communication, launching educational and methodological initiatives and special projects like defining rehabilitation for scientific purposes and contributing to World Health Organization guidelines on post rehabilitation.

The Indochina War Syndrome: Transimperial Displacement and Trauma

ABSTRACT: This article examines the history and trajectories of African troops who were sent to fight in the Indochina War (1946–54). Over the period of the war, the influx of a large number of colonial troops from the global south resulted in a sharp increase in mixed unions and the birth rate of mixed-race children, most of whom were abandoned or forced by the French army to relocate to Africa at the end of the war. In examining how Idrissou Mora-Kpai's award-winning documentary Indochina, Traces of a Mother (2011) brings to the fore this little known story, I show how the film deftly underscores the enduring legacies of colonial biopolitics while also restoring political agency to racial groups conceptualized by the colonial regime as "bare life" that can be disposed of as needed. Through the poetics of memory, affect, and the sensory evocation of forced displacement and rupture, the documentary stimulates new forms of knowledge and critical inquiry, urging the spectator to engage that which has been invisibilized, and to re-assess the cinematic image as a cultural archive.

Indonesia’s Global South Foreign Policy: The Pursuit for a Multipolar World through the Dispersion of Threat and Dependence

Indonesia’s Global South Foreign Policy: The Pursuit for a Multipolar World through the Dispersion of Threat and Dependence