A new initiative at the University of Victoria, the Global South Colloquium provides a forum for regular interdisciplinary exchange and intellectual exploration among faculty, graduate students, and all members of the Uvic community on the history and politics of globalization. The colloquium focuses its attention on the “Global South,” traditionally referring to parts of the world whose states emerged out of the embers of European empires in South Asia, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. More than a geographical orientation to the “non-West,” the colloquium poses the “Global South” to think not only about the post-colonial world’s histories, cultures, and political directions, but also as a provocation to orient discussions about the world-system, its contours, inequities, and sources of power, thereby including a focus not divided by geography and nation-states, but defined by placement within global histories and practices. Each year will revolve around a crucial theme in the history and politics of globalization, from topics such as religion, cultural and artistic exchange, global ecological change, the politics of indigeneity, the politics of aid and development, migrations, and the impacts and meanings of decolonization. Each academic year the colloquium will host a range of four to six scholars of international reputation, speaking to aspects of the year’s thematic focus.
Public Lecture
Each visiting scholar will present a public evening lecture showcasing the scholar’s research as a path toward the study of globalization.
Seminar
Each visiting scholar will conduct a follow-up seminar discussion the morning after the lecture, aimed at further exploring topics discussed in the lecture. The follow-up seminar will refer also to the published writings of the scholar, posted on the Global South Colloquium website. Seminars are open to the public and readings are recommended but not required. Faculty, students, visitors, and all members of the UVic community are welcome to join the seminar discussion.
Current Theme
The theme for 2016-17 is religion and globalization, including visits by Dr. Nile Green, Dr. Smriti Srinivas, Dr. Sam Moyn, Dr. Mayanthi Fernando, and Dr. Susannah Heschel. Within this broad rubric, discussions around the migration and transmission of Islam across regions in the modern world, the relationship between the politics of Islam and secularism in contemporary France, the intersection of urban history, religion, and globalization, contemporary links between human rights and religion, and the role of Orientalism in global histories of religion will ensue within the framework of understanding globalization in history.
For more information, please check out the Global South Colloquium website here.