Majority and Minority Worlds, Indigeneity, and Mobilities

A set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing key concepts from the lecture about Majority and Minority Worlds, Indigeneity, and Mobilities.

What is the 'Majority World'?

Populations in countries traditionally labeled as 'Third World,' representing the majority of humanity. This term emerged from critical development geography and postcolonial studies to highlight global power imbalances, diverging from the colonial implications of 'Third World'.

What term was traditionally used to refer to populations now called the 'Majority World'?

'Third World'. Geographers engaged in postcolonial thought, influenced by scholars like Edward Said's critique of 'Orientalism', have moved to 'Majority World' to offer a more empowering and accurate representation.

Which segment of humanity does the 'Majority World' primarily represent?

The majority of humanity, emphasizing demographic reality over colonial classifications.

What is the 'Minority World'?

Wealthier, more powerful countries that make decisions affecting the 'Majority World'. This concept, used by critical geographers, underscores the unequal distribution of global influence.

What are key characteristics of countries comprising the 'Minority World'?

They are wealthier and more powerful, exerting significant geopolitical influence often at the expense of the Majority World.

What significant role do 'Minority World' countries play in relation to the 'Majority World'?

They make decisions that affect the 'Majority World', a dynamic frequently analyzed in critical geopolitics and development geography.

What is 'Third Worldality'?

Conditions such as inequality and environmental degradation that persist both in the Global South and the Global North. This concept, employed by critical geographers, highlights that issues often associated with the 'Third World' are globally pervasive, challenging binary divisions.

Name two conditions associated with 'Third Worldality'.

Inequality and environmental degradation, demonstrating global interconnectedness of socio-ecological issues.

Where can conditions of 'Third Worldality' be observed?

Both in the Global South and the Global North, indicating a widespread systemic problem.

What is the primary emphasis of 'Relationality'?

Connections and relationships among different cultures and traditions, without hierarchy. In geography, Doreen Massey's work on 'relational space' is foundational, arguing that space is continually made through dynamic relations and interactions, opposing fixed or bounded understandings of place.

What hierarchical structure does 'Relationality' seek to avoid when understanding cultures?

Hierarchy among cultures and traditions, fostering an understanding of mutual influence and co-production of meaning, a core tenet of poststructuralist geography.

What does 'Indigeneity' refer to?

Unique ways of being and knowing specific to each Indigenous group, acknowledging their diverse traditions and histories. Geographers working in Indigenous geographies emphasize these distinct epistemologies to counter Western-centric knowledge systems and respect Indigenous sovereignty over knowledge.

What specific aspects of Indigenous groups does 'Indigeneity' acknowledge?

Their unique ways of being and knowing, diverse traditions, and histories, crucial for understanding place from Indigenous perspectives.

Why is acknowledging the diversity within 'Indigeneity' important?

Because each Indigenous group has unique ways of being and knowing, and diverse traditions and histories, preventing homogenizing Indigenous experiences.

What is 'Decolonising Geography'?

A movement to listen to and incorporate insights of Indigeneity in order to include aspirations of marginalized communities and ecologies. Key scholars like Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Maori, author of 'Decolonizing Methodologies') and Eve Tuck (Unangax) have significantly shaped understanding of decolonization in academic practice, urging critical engagement with geographic knowledge production and its colonial legacies.

What insights does 'Decolonising Geography' aim to incorporate?

Insights of Indigeneity, focusing on non-Western ways of knowing and relating to land and environment.

Whose aspirations does 'Decolonising Geography' seek to include?

Marginalized communities and ecologies, aiming to address historical injustices and promote more equitable futures.

Who is Shahidul Alam and how does his work relate to 'Decolonising Geography'?

A Bangladeshi photographer, activist, and photojournalist who champions local perspectives and empowers voices from the Majority World, often challenging dominant Western narratives and colonial legacies in media. He founded Drik Picture Library and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute.

How does Shahidul Alam's photography exemplify a critique of 'Third Worldality'?

His work often exposes issues of social justice, human rights, and environmental degradation in the Global South, highlighting conditions of inequality and marginalization that persist within and beyond traditional 'Third World' classifications.

What institutions did Shahidul Alam establish to promote alternative narratives and local perspectives?

He founded the Drik Picture Library and the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, aiming to empower storytellers from the Majority World and counter Western-centric media representations.

What is the 'New mobilities paradigm'?

A concept suggesting that social worlds are formed through flows of people, objects, and information. This paradigm was famously articulated by British sociologist John Urry, who argued that understanding societies requires focusing on their inherent fluidity and movement, rather than fixed structures.

According to the 'New mobilities paradigm,' how are social worlds formed?

Through flows of people, objects, and information, a central idea in the work of John Urry and other mobilities scholars, which reorients geographical inquiry from static places to dynamic connections.

Name the three types of 'flows' that shape social worlds in the 'New mobilities paradigm'.

People, objects, and information, as identified in the mobilities research of John Urry and Mimi Sheller, amongst others.

What concept addresses the implications of who can move freely and who cannot?

The 'Politics of Mobility', a field explored by scholars like Mimi Sheller, who examines how power structures, inequalities, and geopolitical forces determine differential access to movement and immobility across various scales, from bodies to global populations.

What societal structures are often linked to the differential freedom of movement in the 'Politics of Mobility'?

Societal power structures, including class, race, gender, and nationality, fundamentally shaping who can move, where, and why, demonstrating mobility as a deeply political phenomenon.

What are 'Mobility Practices'?

Embodied experiences of mobility, questioning if they are forced or free, such as during evacuations or disasters. This concept delves into the phenomenology of movement, a key area of research within mobilities studies that focuses on how movement is felt and performed.

What core question do 'Mobility Practices' investigate regarding mobility experiences?

Whether they are forced or free, analyzing the agency and constraints individuals face in their movements, often revealing power dynamics.

Give an example of a context where 'Mobility Practices' might be considered forced.

During evacuations or disasters, or due to political persecution, economic necessity, and displacement (e.g., refugees), highlighting critical aspects of involuntary movement and its human impacts.

What is the main focus of the 'Environmental Justice' movement'?

Equitable responses to socio-ecological changes and challenging colonial caricatures. This movement has been significantly championed by figures like Robert Bullard, often regarded as the 'father of environmental justice,' whose research demonstrated how environmental hazards disproportionately impact communities of color in the United States.

What specific historical representations does 'Environmental Justice' aim to challenge?

Colonial caricatures, which often dehumanize certain populations and justify their exposure to environmental harms, a focus in postcolonial environmental geography.