Join us as we celebrate the first anniversary of The Global Souths Hub! After early discussions, developing our website and refining our identity, we were thrilled to publish our first blog post in February 2024. Since then, we have supported early-career researchers, built collaborations with a variety of organisations and attended BISA, ASAUK and more – and what a journey it has been!
Our ambitious goal was to create a space to connect scholar-activists, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in order to decentralise knowledge production; spark critical conversations; and support early-career researchers in the field of Global South Studies.
Over the past year, we have published approximately one blog post per week, on topics ranging from climate change to migration, economics to colonisation, and feminism to AI. The Hub continues to attract a global readership from over 155 countries with the top 10 including Chile, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Venezuela, South Africa, UK and USA.
Reflecting on this year, it has been an insightful and inspiring experience for our small but dedicated team – Zara (Founding Editor), Mira (Editor and Website Curator) and Purniya (Contributing Editor and Social Media Manager). We will continue to embrace new opportunities to share stories that matter to our growing community.
Our Most Popular Blog Posts
In 2024, we published many impactful pieces. Our most viewed articles include:
1. Why Palestine is a Feminist Issue
This article documents a panel discussion from BISA 2024 which shed light on the disproportionate impact the genocide in Palestine has on women and girls.
2. The Politics of Plastic Pollution and the Impact on the Global South
Looking at capitalism, Covid-19 and waste colonisation, this investigative awareness piece focuses on how plastic waste negatively impacts countries in the Global South.
3. Queer has Always Been Here – A Reading List
This reading list challenges the Eurocentric idea that queerness is a modern Western identity by highlighting the long history of queer communities in the Global South.
4. Towards a Wellbeing Economy with Feminist Economist Naila Kabeer
In this Q&A, feminist economist Naila Kabeer reflects on how the study of economics has changed since the 1970s and advocates for a stronger feminist reworking of the field.
Platforming the Work of Early-Career Researchers (ECRs)
By recognising that systems of knowledge production remain Global North focused, the Hub aspired to platform the voices of early-career researchers based within the Global South. So far, approximately two thirds of our contributors have been based within these regions. Our collaborations with the Global South Colloquium Fund connected us with Kokab, who travelled to British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS) conference and shared her experience in Understanding the Everyday Experiences of the Ahmadi Community; Silas, who offered us his insights EndSARS movement, a youth-led protest against police brutality in Nigeria in Digital Activism and Memory at ECREA 2024; while Ginbert shared his research on Resettlement in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation through the discussions that took place at International Studies Association (ISA).
Read more from contributing ECRs:
-
Translating African Realities with Indigenous Perspectives and Digital Archives
-
Navigating Adinkra’s Evolution in the Digital Age: A PhD’s Perspective
-
Health Communication Insights from Egypt: Why doctor-influencers avoid academic citations
-
Digital Activism and Memory at ECREA 2024
-
Understanding the Everyday Experiences of the Ahmadi Community
-
No Country for Old Men: Digital Development and Accessibility in the Global South
-
Mirlan Bektursunov wins 2024’s Irene Hilgers Memorial Prize
-
Exploring Resettlement in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation
-
How is China’s South-South Cooperation addressing SDGs? Insights from Li Li
We are always looking to publish the work of early-career researchers. If you are interested in writing for us, contact us on [email protected] and learn more about how to contribute to the Hub.
Collaborations & Conferences
The team attended several conferences, including British International Studies Association (BISA) and the African Studies Association’s (ASAUK) bi-annual meeting.
We played a crucial role in the organisation of the thought-provoking South Africa Reflects: 30 Years of Democracy Colloquium which included talks from freedom fighters, Joyce Dipale and Elizabeth More, and a keynote from activist Nomboniso Gasa, as well as insights from top scholars and journal editors and the launch of a new book series.
We have also enjoyed working with USTA, a mentorship programme that supports early-career researchers in Central Asia; Wasafiri Magazine, which publishes the work of creative writers from across the globe; and Pluto Journals which is home to a wide range of radical journals who are at the cutting-edge of social science research.
Read more about:
- USTA Mentorship Programme: Empowering Central Asian Researchers
- Now Open: 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize
- Exploring the Pluto Journals Collection with Eve Kanram
This year, we will be building stronger collaborations with organisations that share simillar aims, as well as attending The Society of Latin American Studies (SLAS), International Studies Association (ISA) conferences and more.
Community Resources
For our first year anniversary, we have also refreshed our community resources section, which highlights prizes, journals, blogs, magazines and podcasts in International Relations (IR) and Global South Studies. We have added more book series and opportunities, as well as creating a dedicated events calendar where you can find information on conferences around the world. Know of an event you would like us to add? Let us know by emailing [email protected].
The Hub on Social Media
We have built a strong presence across our social media channels including LinkedIn with 965 followers, Twitter/X with 545, while our monthly newsletter continues to have a growing number of subscribers. If you haven’t subscribed yet, sign up now for exclusive opportunities, events and prizes.
In celebration of our anniversary, we have also launched BlueSky and Instagram accounts, where we will be sharing more exciting updates. Plus, keep your eyes on our YouTube channel where we will be posting more videos this year.
Coming up in 2025
In 2025 we will be publishing more decolonial and progressive discourse, tackling topics such as extractivism, scholar-activism, climate justice and global health. We are also looking forward to exploring the intersection between academia with music, art and literature.
Coming soon are interviews with author and global leader in technology for social good, Mala Kumar, and president and publisher of Africa World Press and The Red Sea Press, Kassahun Checole, plus there is a podcast in the pipeline.
Additionally, we are thrilled to soon be launching the Global Souths Hub Best Contribution Prize, which will recognise outstanding contributions to our platform and celebrate impactful writing within Global South Studies.
Your Feedback
What would you like to see us include in 2025? We are eager to hear your thoughts on content, design and scope for the hub. Share your ideas with us through our Readership Survey. All completed entries will be entered into a book prize draw.
A Big Thank You
Finally, we want to express our sincere gratitude to you, our readers – thank you for sharing, commenting and engaging with our content. We hope to have added to meaningful discussions and sparked new ideas. We’d also like to thank the teams at Third World Quarterly and Central Asian Survey for their contributions (read the Q&As from the journal team), as well as the support from teams at BISA, SLAS, an all our friends who helped develop the hub.
