When the Third World Encounters the Global South

The University of Chicago Center in Beijing
20th floor, Culture Plaza
No. 59A Zhong Guan Cun Street
Haidian District Beijing 100872

On August 1, 2025, the University of Chicago Beijing Center supported When the Third World Encounters the Global South, an interdisciplinary symposium convened by Zhang Ling, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies at the State University of New York at Purchase and an alumna of the University of Chicago. The gathering brought together more than sixty scholars, students, and members of the public in Beijing, with participants joining both in person and online from around the world.

The afternoon began with opening remarks from Paola Iovene, Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago, who joined virtually from Italy. Professor Iovene reflected on the evolving meanings of “Third World” and “Global South” in scholarly discourse and emphasized the importance of building transnational dialogues that bridge historical experiences and contemporary challenges.

The program unfolded through a series of panels examining the present realities and future trajectories of the Global South, the ways it has been narrated in literature, travel writing, and media, and the cultural and intellectual exchanges that have shaped its identity. Speakers from leading institutions such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Yanshan University, and international universities shared research spanning African land reform, China–Africa transnational networks, grassroots Southern imaginaries beyond Bandung, and the tensions between cultural identity and political economy in Brazil. Discussions also delved into Sino-Tanzanian socialist literature, Lusophone African narratives, counter-knowledge and cognitive justice, and the Dar es Salaam School’s connections with China.

The day concluded with a lively roundtable, moderated by Zhang Ling, that brought together presenters to reflect on the intersections, divergences, and possibilities within the intertwined histories of the Third World and the Global South. Conversations moved fluidly between the historical legacies of Bandung-era solidarity and the emerging paradigms for understanding South–South relations in the twenty-first century.

By convening scholars from diverse disciplines and geographies, the symposium created a rare space for sustained intellectual exchange on questions that transcend national borders. The University of Chicago Beijing Center’s support for this event underscored its ongoing commitment to fostering rigorous, globally engaged scholarship and to connecting academic communities across continents.