Global North Research Articles

Toxic threads: Ghana confronts the fallout of the Global North’s fast fashion habit

Toxic threads: Ghana confronts the fallout of the Global North’s fast fashion habit

Do Conservacionismo Globalizante ao Conservacionismo Crítico

This paper aims to reflect on conservationism oriented by the Global North and which, since the 20th century, has been promoted as the dominant way to reflect on environmental catastrophes. In this sense, in a first section, we will work with some theories about “globalizing conservationism” coming from the North, and, in a second moment, we will discuss how “critical conservationism” is thought from counter-hegemonic perspectives of the South. At the end, some conclusive remarks will be made on reflections and discussions brought up throughout the text and a possible path will be presented to overcome the deadlock between globalizing conservationism and critical conservationism. In terms of methodology, this paper adopts a theoretical approach with a descriptive and analytical character.

“What Kind of Migrant Are You?”—Iranian Migrants in the West, Racial Complexity and Myths of Belonging

In this article, I analyse the complexity of the status of “migrant” in relation to myths of belonging and what we call “home”. I look at status labels that Iranian border-crossers embrace after migrating to the Global North and the ways in which they practice adaptability in accordance with the systemic and structural meanings associated with their migration status and their racial complexity. Ethnic and Racial labels adopted by Iranian migrants can include “Persian”, “Iranian”, “Middle Eastern”, “White”, or “Aryan”, and migration status labels range from “migrant” to “refugees and asylum seekers”, “exiles”, “expats” etc. Using a mixed approach of digital ethnographies, autoethnography and textual analysis, together with an intersectional and decolonial lens, I investigate the ways in which migration status such as skilled categories are associated with not only “fitting” into the neoliberal and capitalist systems of border crossing but also “blending” into racial hierarchies and maintaining class status post migration within White contexts. This article takes an empathetic approach to the lived experiences of minority and racially complex migrants and emphasises the epistemic value of their narratives and the ways in which these stories can inform us about the covert systemic structural and racially loaded bias that exists within migration economies of the Global North.

Book Review: Basso et al. Aprender en Comunidad: Prácticas Colaborativas para Transformar la Evaluación (Learning in Community: Collaborative Practices to transform Assessment)

Aprender en Comunidad: Prácticas Colaborativas para Transformar la Evaluación (Learning in Community: Collaborative Practices to transform Assessment) is the joint creation of Argentinian and Uruguayan practitioners. As much of the current discourse in comparative and international higher education is on the Global North, this book expands the discussion to territories historically excluded from the conversation. The book has a prologue by a university lecturer and researcher and is structured in seven chapters, which go from telling about the constitution of the work team, through the statement of their common goal: the design of improved course planning with authentic assessment tasks, to the reflection on the implementation of such proposals, as well as on the experiential knowledge gained from the collaborative work within the community of learning. The book’s purpose is then to describe and reflect upon those proposals with the intention of inspiring similar collaborative assessment practices. While the book is written in Spanish, the intended audience is any teacher, teacher trainer/trainee, college/university educator or tertiary level student who wants to read about varied innovative assessment experiences, carried out mainly at higher education (HE) institutions, and the synergy that learning from and with other colleagues harnesses.

Migration Infrastructure, Digital Connectivity and Porous Borders: Vietnamese Migration to Australia

ABSTRACTThe burgeoning literature on migration and information and communication technologies (ICTs) provides rich empirical evidence of how social media and networking platforms are becoming integral to cross‐border migration, increasingly blurring the boundaries between physical and virtual worlds. Drawing from a qualitative study conducted between 2019 and 2023 on the Vietnam–Australia migration corridor, I discuss how virtual communities and digitally mediated migration infrastructure shape the ways migrants navigate the restrictive, but also defective, neoliberal migration regimes in the Global North. Social media facilitate brokers' access to a wide range of potential clients but challenge their previously dominant position in migration mediation. Digital divides create uneven mobility pathways, reproducing and exacerbating social inequalities among people on the move. A focus on migration mediation at the intersection of social‐digital spheres generates vital insights into the continually evolving relationships between the state, market and migrants in the Digital Age.

Double Standards and Dissonance: Women’s Rights and Freedom of Religion in the Global North

In this article, I explore the complex intersection between women's rights and religious freedom in liberal democracies, particularly focusing on the Global North. I demonstrate how both religious freedom and women’s rights have been instrumentalized by Western powers, often as tools of foreign policy. I highlight the dissonance between Western nations’ rhetoric, which promotes these rights globally, and their domestic practices, which sometimes impose restrictions, especially on Muslim women. Through case studies, including countries in the Middle East, France, and the United States, the article underscores the hypocrisy of Western democracies that criticize religious restrictions in authoritarian regimes while enforcing their own limitations on women’s religious expression. In the conclusion, I emphasize the importance of consistent application of human rights to avoid reinforcing cynicism and authoritarian practices.

Molecular investigation of harmful cyanobacteria reveals hidden risks and niche partitioning in Kenyan Lakes

Despite the global expansion of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs), research is biased to temperate systems within the global north, such as the Laurentian Great Lakes. This lack of diversity represents a significant gap in the field and jeopardizes the health of those who reside along at-risk watersheds in the global south. The African Great Lake, Lake Victoria, is understudied despite serving as the second largest lake by surface area and demonstrating year-round cHABs. Here, we address this knowledge gap by performing a molecular survey of cHAB communities in three anthropogenically and ecologically important freshwater systems of Victoria's Kenyan watershed: Winam Gulf (Lake Victoria), Lake Simbi and Lake Naivasha. We identified a bloom of non-toxic Dolichospermum and toxic Microcystis in the Winam Gulf, with data suggesting sulfur limitation shapes competition dynamics between these two bloom-formers. Though we did not detect a bloom in Naivasha, it contained the largest diversity of cHAB genera amongst the three lakes. In turn, our results indicated methane metabolism may allow non-toxic picoplankton to outcompete cHAB genera, while suggesting Synechococcus spp. serves as a methane source and sink in this system. Lake Simbi exhibited a non-toxic Limnospira bloom at the time of sampling with very low abundances of cHAB genera present. Subsequently, these results were employed to design a cHAB screening and risk assessment framework for local stakeholders. Cumulatively, this work serves to increase cHAB research efforts on the international scale while serving as an impetus for cHAB monitoring on the local scale.

Regulação da IA e seu impacto nas políticas e práticas de concorrência na América Latina

This article seeks to analyze Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulation initiatives in Latin American countries - Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru -, focusing on the potential effects and impacts of AI on competition. In this sense, we seek to answer whether there is a concern about competition expressed in the regulatory initiatives of these countries and how this concern is addressed. The research involves bibliographic review and qualitative and comparative analysis of official documents, such as bills and political guidelines. The study identifies theoretical pro- and anti-competitive effects associated with AI, establishing the basis for what will be observed in the comparative research. What can be seen is that these effects are addressed tangentially in the regulatory initiatives studied, with greater emphasis on transparency and explainability. In general, Latin American AI regulations show greater concern for the individual sphere, valuing the protection of fundamental rights and the ethical use of technology. The analysis also reveals that the objectives of regulators and antitrust authorities in Latin America may differ from the traditional standards of countries in the Global North, such as the United States and Europe.

Genre or Hypernym

The current buzz surrounding West African popular music in the moniker of Afrobeats has placed a global spotlight on West African artists and their music. Afrobeats was popularized among mainstream North American audiences in 2016 when world-renowned musician Drake featured Nigerian musician, Wizkid, on his song “One Dance.” The term has gone under scrutiny in various debates between critics and advocates. What exactly is Afrobeats? Is it a musical genre with distinct sonic signifiers or a socially generated term for a panoply of West African popular music genres? Is it a synonym for West African popular music? Afrobeats is an ambiguous term because it evades a definition. Perhaps, the conundrum stems from the fact that it shares the same name with a precedent (and different) musical style–Afrobeat without an ‘s’–often associated with the world-renowned Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. This article traces the trajectory of the term from its conception as a hypernym circulating within West African communities outside Africa to its construction as a genre in the mainstream global music industry. By analyzing the operative distinctions between Afrobeats as a hypernym and Afrobeats as a genre, I explore the amalgamation of diverse genres as Afrobeats and the ensuing genrefication of Afrobeats. I argue that Afrobeats has been conceptualized differently within various contexts in the Global North. Through a critical analysis of conventional and alternative modes of circulation and consumption of music, I expatiate on how and why the term was constructed as well as its significance. Finally, by discussing the various ways in which the distinct modes of global circulation intersect, I suggest that Afrobeats is a social and aesthetic category within a diasporic cultural framework on the one hand, and a marketing category operating within what Dave Laing (2009) calls a “genre-market” on the other.

Power, Institutionalisation, and Religion: Gender-Washing as a Tool of Autocratic Control

This article reflects on Rola El-Husseini's critique of the Western double standards concerning women’s rights and religious freedom in her work "Double Standards and Dissonance: Women’s Rights and Freedom of Religion in the Global North." It expands on the concept of "gender-washing," illustrating how both left- and right-wing authoritarian regimes exploit gender equality rhetoric for political gains without genuine efforts toward equality. Through examples from Czechoslovakia and contemporary India, the article explores how different ideologies—from Marxism-Leninism to religious nationalism—use women’s rights as a façade while maintaining autocratic control. It also engages with postcolonial feminist critiques of Western universalism.

Religion, Coloniality and Women’s Rights

In response to Rola El-Husseini’s article, “Double Standards and Dissonance: Women’s Rights and Freedom of Religion in the Global North,” this paper addresses the French approach to secularism and women’s rights within a context of coloniality. Analyzing France’s secular framework, I explore the secular control over Muslim women’s attire and identity, tracing these regulations back to colonial practices. By examining how religious expression, particularly in relation to Islam, is selectively restricted, this commentary highlights the paradox of French “laïcité” as both a liberating and oppressive force, revealing ongoing colonial legacies in contemporary women’s rights discourse.

Parasites of Innovation – The Dual Models of Neoliberal Urban Creativity

This critical interrogation of the neoliberal agenda pivots around its usurpation of creativity as crystalized in the creative city and related urban politics in the global North. Cities being the engines of the economy (Jane Jacobs and Peter Hall), Florida and Landry advocate the creative city as the real motor force of the neoliberal economy – a kind of creativity that has little to do with spontaneous imaginative bottom-up urban regeneration but rather the fostering of a factitious or cultivated creativity through the top-down implementation of specific policy interventions. It is theorized that this artificially created creativity is incarnated in a direct and indirect model respectively that function differently to foster economic growth. While the direct model is glaringly invasive and overtly top-down, the indirect model is more insidious because more subtle and unobtrusive by utilizing negative planning measures to let the informal creative margins and interstices flourish “organically” – the latter serving as breeding ground upon which the former parasitizes. Together the direct and indirect models permeate the entire register of power operative in the creative city from macropolitical urban interventions to the microphysics of the individual creaworker. This contribution critically unpacks the dual models of neoliberal urban creativity and concludes by briefly touching upon the crucial question of resistance.

Context matters? The influence of happiness, trust, democracy and economic development on DEI policies in communications in Latin America and the Caribbean

PurposeAlthough significant research has been developed in the Global North regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the communication field, the subject has been neglected in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The purpose of this paper is twofold: on the one hand, this article analyzes to what extent DEI policies are implemented in LAC organizations, and on the other, it examines how four contextual variables (trust, democracy, economic development and happiness) impact the development of DEI in the region.Design/methodology/approachA dataset corresponding to the 2022/2023 edition of the Latin American Communication Monitor is used. For the study of DEI policies and their relationship with communication management in the region, four dimensions of study are defined, as well as two indices related to DEI.FindingsThe most relevant category linked to DEI for LAC professionals is generation and age, above other usually more consolidated categories such as gender or sexual orientation. As for contextual variables, only democracy seems to really influence the incorporation of DEI policies in communications, given that generalized trust would not affect their implementation, while happiness and economic development do not show conclusive evidence.Originality/valueThis study can contribute to expanding the knowledge on the corporate communication field by conducting contextualized and more inclusive research and, therefore, decolonizing proposals from the Global North.

Reimagining professional development for school leaders in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia: an examination of current approaches and future directions

ABSTRACT This study examines current approaches to professional development (PD) for school leaders in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. While PD programs indicate significant progress, school leadership remains in an early stage of development. The findings highlight the need for national policy commitments to ensure long-term sustainability. The challenge is not only in offering accessible programs for new principals but also in ensuring quality and promoting continuous professionalisation. The analysis underscores the need for individual-centred PD approaches that prioritise the personal growth of school leaders, recognising the multifaceted dimensions of their roles. Additionally, it emphasises the importance of embedding professional development within a learning system that fosters partnerships between academia, government, and wider society. Addressing the need for a more context-sensitive approach to professional preparation, the study also highlights the political dimension of school leadership, advocating for programs that equip leaders with the political awareness necessary to navigate complex policy contexts effectively. Recognising the influence of the Global North, this study advocates for reimagining PD approaches to integrate and prioritise contextualised practices and knowledge, considering the diverse realities and challenges faced by educators in the region.

What Science in the tropics should not be about

International scientific journals periodically publish articles about research which often takes place in the “global South”, nevertheless, the results of this research are frequently authored and conducted mainly by principal investigators from the “global North”. This reality reflects economic and structural disparities resulting from centuries of differential economic growth, extraction, and exploitation. Although scientists from the global North of this generation do not work for empires which are in the process of active colonization, they still have a responsibility to behave in an intellectual non-imperialistic manner. The authors of this paper, both from the global South (one practicing science in the global North), discuss examples in which the practice of field science or its reporting have failed to be inclusive or even respectful of the local investigators or communities. We also discuss examples of inclusive and respectful papers and point to how the authors of these projects behaved differently. We understand that some linguistic or reporting practices might seem benign to those who use or promote them. However, to those of us who are mis-represented by those reports, these words matter and offend. We are taking this opportunity to discuss these issues with our peers and hope for an inclusive and respectful global practice of field science, as well as a better science communication.

A concentric locus of control and triple bottom line model for responsible management: Theory development inspired by students from the Global South

Responsible management education is often viewed from an educator's rather than a student's perspective, as well as from a Global North rather than a Global South viewpoint. Addressing these gaps, this study aims to explore responsible management education through student perspectives from a Southeast Asian country. Utilizing online platforms and university channels, we recruited 542 students, with 492 valid responses analyzed. Analyzing the students' responses using keyword co-occurrence mapping, we identified a set of thematic clusters that reflect key aspects of responsible management: society, environment, company, business and responsibility, business decision, thing, and goal. These clusters were thematically grouped into a modified triple bottom line for responsible management, comprising organizational (which includes economic and ethical considerations), social, and environmental components. This grouping underscores the importance of economic considerations, ethical decision-making, environmental stewardship, and societal wellbeing in management practice. Building on these findings, we incorporate management—the final component emerging from the clusters—to propose a novel model that merges the triple bottom line with locus of control, forming concentric circles that offer a more robust lens for managerial decision-making. This model highlights the varying levels of control and influence managers have over organizational, social, and environmental aspects, providing a new approach for integrating responsible management into organizational leadership taught through responsible management education. Our study thus makes a significant contribution to advancing responsible management education theory and practice by incorporating student perspectives from the Global South and introducing an innovative model—the concentric locus of control and triple bottom line model—that can be used in responsible management education to shape the managerial outlook of future business leaders.

Is there a case for or against patents to incentivize green technologies?: A critical evaluation of innovation incentives for the global north and global south

The world society is in urgent need for new ecological problem solutions on a global scale. However, the current system to incentivize invention and innovation for green technologies is only limitedly able to provide effective solutions—particularly in the “global south”. Since patents that exert distortionary effects remain the dominant mechanisms for incentivizing innovation, the debate about alternative incentivization instruments for fostering green invention and innovation has recently been renewed. Yet, some of these instruments run the danger of a so-called “projectitis”, an obsession with static small-scale projects. Instead, this article argues that we need scalable experiments for a better institutional support of systemic invention and innovation activities by improving the global governance regime that moves beyond individual organizations, industries, sectors, states, and geopolitical blocks. From a sustainability nexus perspective, required scalable innovation ecosystems must therefore account for the interconnections between technological, economic, political, social, and environmental issues. A reformed order that combines patents and alternative incentivization instruments may help to redirect resources towards fostering a more systemic, market-based, and consumer-oriented path of legitimate sustainable global development, as proposed by the 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals (SDGs), without leaving particular countries behind, while at the same time maintaining companies’ systemic dynamism in the long run.

Transportation usage and perceptions among older adults in Mexico City: a qualitative study

Abstract Transportation plays a vital role in meeting the daily activity needs of individuals, including older adults. One major gap in the existing ageing and mobility literature is that most studies are situated in the Global North despite Global South cities facing comparatively faster ageing. This article’s primary purpose is to examine the daily lived experiences of transportation use among older adults in Mexico City. Secondarily it explores contextual differences among individuals living in two neighbourhood types – those with high or low access to public transportation networks. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 older adults and isolated four central themes that encapsulate their experiences of transportation in Mexico City. The extensive and well-run structured-transit system in central Mexico City was the source of many positive experiences for older adults, especially regarding affordability, high network connectivity and overall sense of safety and comfort. This was true for most participants across neighbourhood types and socio-economic statuses. Conversely, in peripheral neighbourhoods dominated by less-structured transportation modes, negative experiences included complaints about vehicle drivers, crime and safety, comfort and convenience. This article’s contributions are showing (1) consistency with existing Global South literature whereby older adults tend to use public transportation more widely and hold similar complaints related to poor experiences as older adult passengers; (2) that Mexico City exemplifies older adult transportation experiences that are dramatically different from car-dependent societies in the Global North; and (3) how older adults’ experiences with public transportation can vary significantly based on residential location within the city.

Our morality tells us what to eat – A systematic review on attitudes towards genetically modified foods

Genetically modified foods (GMF) have long been discussed as one of the potential means to bring about our urgently needed agricultural transformation. However, even as long, the public in Europe and Northern America has rejected GMF. Motivated by this ongoing polarisation about GMF, we conducted a systematic review on factors that impact GMF perceptions and attitudes. Adding to previous reviews on GMF attitude, such as Frewer et al. (2013), we are particularly interested in how differences in attitudes between the Global North and Global South (GS) unfold. With that, we also contribute to overcoming a bias that we noted: the majority of studies on this topic has been conducted in the Global North. Moreover, because recent research on moral evolution shows how vital morality is for attitude formation, we are particularly interested in the role of moral beliefs in forming attitudes on GMF. Our study followed the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. A total of 55 papers were included in the review, 45 of those from the initial search, and 10 from the additional search, specifically focusing on the GS. Our results show a heterogenous dynamic behind the prediction of attitude. Interestingly, morality is shown to be an important factor. Specifically, we find that moral concerns, for example of fairness, world views, religion, play a prominent role in GMF attitudes. Thus, when designing policies and improving science communication about GMF, moral benefits of the technology need more consideration and should be sensibly addressed. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, the population in the GS should be given greater consideration in issues that affect the whole world. Related to GMF attitude and perception, our analysis shows that they bring a different perspective, as well as different needs, to the discussion.

“A Setting Where Things Can Happen”: The Dialectics of Liberation Congress and the Politics of Knowledge in the 1960s

For two weeks in July 1967, several thousand people attended the International Congress on the Dialectics of Liberation in London, a sprawling event that is now largely remembered as a point of convergence for an unlikely roster of prominent radical intellectuals—Stokely Carmichael, Allen Ginsberg, Paul Goodman, and Herbert Marcuse among them. This article uses a broad array of sources to present the congress as a mass counterinstitution in which a variety of social actors—including not only the invited speakers, but also conference organizers and audience members—struggled to establish nonauthoritarian forms of knowledge production. The record of these efforts, and in particular the audience's demand to participate directly in the production and exchange of ideas, illuminates the ways in which radical intellectuals' challenge to dominant institutions in the global North during the late 1960s threatened to undermine their own discursive authority.