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Southern Theory by Raewyn Connell
Description
“Why Social Science Needs the Global South”
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📕 Transcript and audio of this episode is available here for free
Title: Southern Theory
Author: Raewyn Connell
Category: Economics & Global Markets, Culture & Society, Science & Discovery, World History
What if most of the social science we learn is built on a colonial foundation? Sam and Sophie sit with that question, because it's not just an academic debate—it shapes how we understand development, inequality, and even our own identities.
They walk through Raewyn Connell's argument that thinkers from Marx to Foucault developed theories in response to European conditions, which then get exported as universal truths. The episode covers the concept of 'metropolitan theory,' the intellectual dependency that mirrors global trade, and specific Southern thinkers who offer genuinely different frameworks—like Indian sociologists challenging Western ideas about caste and African philosophers rethinking knowledge itself.
If you've ever wondered why development policies fail or why certain voices dominate academic conversations, this episode names the problem and points toward a solution. The takeaway: a truly global social science requires humility from the North and confidence from the South.
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Chapters
00:00The Colonial Roots of Social Science01:15Metropolitan Theory and Its Consequences02:26Southern Thinkers and Alternative Frameworks03:50Institutional Barriers and Intellectual Dependency05:05Toward a Truly Global Social Science
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