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Maria Nefeli Giannia, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, GermanyAbstract
The present study reassesses the limits of the Global South to account for contemporary global realities. In this regard, the research is situated primarily within a relational and postcolonial tradition, while also drawing on critical political economy. The article argues that, despite the historical significance of the Global North/Global South division, its re-examination has become imperative from a social science perspective in order to render visible various forms of unequal power relations and the marginalisation of social groups and populations that spatially belong to already “privileged” frameworks. In this context, the paper introduces the term Virtual Global South (VGS) as a conceptual extension of the Global South, aiming to broaden its analytical reach beyond strict geographical or geopolitical boundaries. The term VGS is employed to denote a mode of existence defined by its operative effects rather than by formal or official recognition. The article proposes a brief overview of existing critiques on the Global North and the Global South, in dialogue with the author’s critical position, before exploring how the current classification criteria of the Global South can be revised to accommodate the concept of the VGS. Finally, Mediterranean Europe is examined as an illustrative case, insofar as during and after the 2008 economic crisis, there appeared narratives and practices that echoed structures and vocabulary of (neo)colonial character. The analysis moves beyond the level of the nation-state as the sole analytical unit, allowing for the examination of specific subnational regions.
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