Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
This is the unity that binds the diversity of the casual labourer in India,
the squatter resident in Soweto, or the street hawker in Lima. All are
victims of the unequal distribution of resources that the world mani-
festly exhibits. And this expression is strongly spatial in character -
space matters in development.
Further, it still holds true, that there is a unity provided by coloniza-
tion and decolonization. The same sort of view gives rise to the argu-
ment that 'the Third World is
SIC
', that is, it is the outcome of the forces
of Slavery, Imperialism and Colonialism. It is for these sorts of reasons
that some commentators still approve of the use of the term Third
World, in that it stresses the historical-political and strategic common-
alities of relatively poor, primarily ex-colonial countries. Virtually all
Third World nations, with the notable exceptions of Thailand, Iran,
parts of Arabia, China and Afghanistan, share a history of colonial rule
and external domination. Thus a case can be made, on the grounds of
history, for the continued use of the collective noun 'Third World'.
In this sense, in the words of Norwine and Gonzalez (1988: 2-3) the
concept of the Third World is an 'extremely useful figment of the human
imagination ... The Third World exists whatever we choose to call it.
The more difficult question is how can we understand it and change it
according to priorities set out by its own inhabitants'. Most of those
students of development who continue to use the term Third World
must realise, therefore, that it is not simply a semantic or geographical
device, but a concept that refers to a persistent process of exploitation
through which contrasts at the global, regional and national levels are
growing wider.
43
key
points
•
We live in a highly unequal world and it is becoming more, rather
than less, unequal.
•
There is a strong argument that inequalities lead to a reduction in
social cohesion within society and that, further, they are linked to
the generation of social conflicts.
•
The origins of the label 'Third World' were originally essentially geo-
political, denoting what were mainly former colonial nations.
•
Critiques of the concept of the Third World appeared from the early
1970s and gave rise to new forms of dichotomous thinking, not least
Rich and Poor, Developed and Underdeveloped and North-South.
