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Consortium for the Global South

 

Cambridge’s engagement with African, South Asian, and Latin American studies has a historical legacy stretching back to the early twentieth century, with three Area Studies Centres formally established in the 1960s to bring together expertise from across the university’s departments and faculties. Since its inception in 2017, the Consortium for the Global South has advanced the interdisciplinary study of the world beyond the Global North at Cambridge. The Consortium, anchored in the Area Studies Centres in collaboration with Gender Studies and Development Studies within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, brings together scholars and students of different regions and disciplines from across the University and an expansive network of visiting fellows.

This vibrant community addresses some of the major challenges of the contemporary world by rethinking dominant narratives and locating present challenges in global and regional histories. The Consortium’s workshops, panel discussions, seminars and conferences on topics ranging from “Rethinking Rights” to “Postcolonial Ecologies”, from “Science and Technology from the Global South” to “Decolonising the University”, reach a broad audience that extends far beyond the University. Across its MPhil and PhD programmes, the Centres are also at the forefront of providing world-class postgraduate education that is truly global in scope.

Area Studies at Cambridge is uniquely placed to engage with key issues facing the planet and its peoples today. The Consortium builds on networks among Cambridge researchers and with our global partners, sets out critical new research and impact agendas, and enables Cambridge to continue to be at the forefront of genuinely global knowledge and engagement. Our excellence is made possible by a truly interdisciplinary approach that takes advantage of strengths in anthropology, political economy, history, languages and cultural studies including literature and film, international relations, gender studies, geography, archaeology, and religion.