25 3 Global South Summary by Nebyu Haile | Session chair: Cailtin Mueller How do we speak about the "Global South?" In discussions about regions where many social good or impact projects are focused—such as Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin and Central America—academics and international organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations have historically used the term "Global South." This term has been in use since its inception in the 1960s and was popularized by economists in the 1980s. Now, fifty years later, it is crucial for academics and governmental bodies to consider finding a more accurate and respectful term that truly reflects the challenges faced by these regions. Similar to the Cold War rhetoric of "East vs. West," the Global North vs. Global South divide is not a clear physical or geographical line. Many of the countries considered part of the Global South are actually north of the equator, challenging the assumption that the equator serves as the dividing line. The North vs. South division was an arbitrary construct established by politicians and economists in the 1980s to separate high GDP countries of the North from the poorer countries of the South along a self-created line known as the Brandt Line. Fifty years later, it can be argued that this line should be retired, especially considering that countries like India and Brazil, which are part of the Global South according to this line, now have the 5th and 11th highest GDPs in the world. Given the general consensus that "Global South" is not the most accurate term, the question arises: what term should be used instead? A crude alternative might be "hot and humid countries," "brown countries," or "poor countries". While countries like Brazil, India, and China have high national GDPs, their GDPs per capita are still relatively low, aligning with the 1980s rhetoric and organization of countries into North vs. South. Acknowledging that many of these countries' challenges still lie in their disparity of economic success, terms that have become popular among aid organizations include Fig 3.1 Global South (Design: Nada Tarkhan)
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