Summer Musing I: ‘Nobody talks about Global North perspectives. Why push for a Global South perspective?’
Many talk about a global south perspective, view from the bottom, or a ‘third-world’ approach to law, history, and/or other adjacent disciplines. As a methodological counter-argument, it is possible to say: “Why is one ‘taking a side’? Nobody ever pushes a global north perspective on us.” Indeed, it might sound parochial & biased at first glance. However:
- What if the prevailing and preponderant international systems represent precisely the global north perspective, but without saying so?
- What if those systems are rigged in favour of the global north?
- What if a global north perspective is pushed on us implicitly?
- What if there is an inherent global north structural bias?
If the answer to any or all of these questions might be yes, most would agree that this would signify an inequality-of-arms between global north (more-equal) and global south (less-equal) actors on a global scale, even an imbalance. It is precisely to correct this prevailing imbalance that one might need to invoke a global south perspective. It is the need to correct historic injustice that leads one to seemingly ‘take a side.’ This is similar to the reasoning applied by groups that some classify as pro-affirmative action or pro-Palestine or pro-women’s rights.
What if most prominent venerated mainstream perspectives already are global north perspectives?
What a global south perspective should not be?
When someone seeks out a global-south perspective, they are not ‘supporting’ the global south in the same way you support your favourite sports team. Scholars do not want the global-south to win some global competition, or become the most powerful in a jingoistic sense. And if they did, this would be problematic for two reasons. Firstly, it is unprincipled. We can safely conclude that such an underlying motivation is predicated on the very creed that made the global south the ‘lesser-equal’ in the first place. Secondly, it is far-fetched to think that the global south will upend the system in one fell swoop, after centuries of ‘lesser-equal’ status. So, it is both unprincipled and impractical.
What a global south perspective should be?
One may ask, what is a healthy global south perspective? Arguably, a healthy global-south perspective involves an eye to making the ‘international’ project veritably international in a truer semantic sense. It is to bring in modes of thinking that make it more representative of the populations that are represented by these international systems. It is indeed to create a more level playing field.
Full disclosure: I have a global north bias.
Firstly, I write here in English.
Secondly, my educational formation is entirely western and a significant portion of my expatriate upbringing too. I went to a school called the American-British Academy, taking its name & ethos from two of the most powerful anglophone global north countries. My higher studies have been in the US and UK.
Thirdly, I was born in a city called Boston (MA, USA).
Where do we go from here?
This simply means I must be cognisant of my inherent bias, but it does not preclude me from exploring the global south perspective.
Having acknowledged my bias, I mention that I have lived, studied, and/or worked (both as a child and an adult) in Oman, India, and the UAE. I have done so deliberately as an adult. These countries are not representative of the entire global south of course.
But, I decided that, for me to form any critical insights, I need to understand the insecurities of these societies. I need to have been at the heart of the subject-matter. For instance, if you were studying a storm, you would bring an invaluable perspective had you been caught in the eye of the storm yourself.
I have also conducted both directed and independent linguistically-grounded research on India & Afghanistan. My second degree was in Development Studies.
Perhaps, I have a global south bias too!
Afterall, I grew up in Oman and have an Indo-Afghan heritage.
It is important to acknowledge implicit or explicit, real or potential biases. It is even more important to keep these in check. And then, it is important to move forward.
Disclaimer: My summer musings are not academic articles in which evidence is marshalled. As of now, I am looking for directions for useful research that is clarificatory and productive, that will hopefully solve problems and improve lived experiences.
