Sarah Jilani Critiques Vague Terms Like 'Global South' and 'Global Majority'

In a May 2025 opinion piece for ArtReview, Sarah Jilani, who teaches postcolonial literatures and world cinema at City, University of London, argues that terms like 'Global South' and 'Global Majority' fail to provide meaningful analysis, as they mask real power dynamics and economic inequalities. She recalls a moment during an EDI meeting when she was urged to use 'member of the global majority' instead of 'people of colour,' leading her to doubt the effectiveness of such phrases. Jilani discusses the evolution of terms from 'colonies' to 'Third World' to 'Global South,' a label coined by Carl Oglesby in 1969, which has lost its critical edge. She believes 'the neo-colonised world' offers a clearer understanding of ongoing exploitative systems, warning that vague language can legitimize exploitation and weaken unity, citing Sri Lankan comedian Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa’s remark about the term 'Global South.'