The performative Global South in Mallorca: On othering in practice and theory

This essay uses a hands-on episode from the field – my inner dilemma at Mallorca and the haunting questions about what constituted the Global South – to reflect upon the value of a Global South model as performative. A performative, not fixed understanding of the Global South seems to be a helpful tool to think through the theoretical questions involved in the process of defining one’s research object. Performative here is understood in the sense of relational, shape-shifting, malleable, polyvalent, not fixed. If the meaning of the Global South is not determined initially (as else everyone would reproduce our imaginary South rather than truly studying it), it is vital to ask: what are the benefits and downsides of a Global South model that it is not static but performative (or relational)?