Rarely has the “Global South” been seen as a source of theory and explanation for world historical events. Yet, as many nation-states of the northern hemisphere experience increasing fiscal meltdown, state privatization, corruption, ethnic conflict, and other crises, it seems as though the “Global North” is evolving southward, so to speak, in both positive and problematic ways. In tracing this pattern the lecture asks how we might understand the world through theory developed in the south, presenting a new twist to the evolutionary pathways long assumed by social scientists.

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