Global South Studies Center Erfurt

Global South Studies are a rather recent, vibrant and interdisciplinary research field. Global South is understood here in its relation to the Global North and Global East, as a relational concept. The term first appeared officially in world politics in 1980 with the report of Willy Brandt’s North-South Commission (1977-79), entitled North-South: A Programme for Survival, but "Global South" was used since the 1960s.
The concept of the Global East has recently been introduced into the discussion in order to include the post-Soviet and postsocialist spaces, the former “Second World”, liminally positioned between Global South and Global North. Global South, North and East are not to be understood as geographical descriptions, but rather as deterritorialized concepts used to describe and analyze transregional, transnational and translocal relationships, spaces and movements within the global economic and political order. Thus, there is “South” to be found in the “North” and "East" (and vice-versa). Through related experiences of subaltern positions of marginalization (and often alienation), the concepts Global South and East are also used to both express and analyze powerful social and political Imaginaries that have been able to transcend the contradictions and disjunctions of the societies and politics involved.

Navigating China: A Tri-Regional Conversation on Power, Policy, and Partnership.

21.04.2026.
Haus Dacheröden: Anger 37, 99084 Erfurt.

Panel:

• Thomas Yoshimura, Policy Advisor China, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.
• George Yin, Senior Fellow, Mercator Institute for Chia Studies
• Michael Laha, Senior Fellow, German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP)
• moderated by Dr des. Madeleine Böhm, Academic Coordinator of the doctoral program De-Globalisation and Global Decoupling (DeGlobE)

 When: Monday April 20th, 18:00
 Where: LG 1, HS 3
 Running Time: 90 min
 Organizer: FSR Geschichte

 Global South Movie Night Presents:
 

The Black Power Mixtape

“Dr. King only made one fallacious assumption: In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none”. This is how Stokely Carmichael, the man who coined the term “Black Power”, explained his approach to the question of Civil Rights. 
Thus breaking with the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Carmichael became the forerunner of a new generation of African-American activists. 
A generation that would be much more militant and confrontational . One that was not content to keep asking for their rights in the hopes of being heard by a deaf political establishment, but one that was prepared to take them forcefully, if necessary through the gun. This Black Power Generation in many ways shaped the politics of the US in the late 60s and early 70s, with organizations like the Black Panther Party and individuals like Angela Davies successfully challenging the legitimacy of the United States on the world stage. “Black Power” thus gave birth to its very own intellectual tradition, at times influenced by ideas of Black Nationalism, Panafricanism or Socialism, but always framing the plight of African-Americans in revolutionary terms, striving for liberation.

The Black Power Mixtape is a documentary by Swedish filmmaker Göran Olsson. It tells the story of “Black Power”, from its beginnings in the Civil Rights Movement to its slow disappearance in the mid seventies. 
The film is especially valuable for its use of original archival footage, illustrating the conditions of African-Americans at the time, as well as giving the leaders of the movement the chance to speak for themselves. Added to this are commentaries by contemporary experts, helping to position “Black Power” in its wider context and explaining its continuing influence. All in all The Black Power Mixtape is a perfect introduction to this integral part of African-American history.

The FSR Geschichte invites you all to an evening of thought provoking cinema and fruitful discussions.