What is Global Thought?

Definition of Global Thought

“Global Thought” is an interdisciplinary intellectual field that examines global interconnectedness, transnational influences, and the structures shaping contemporary world affairs. It goes beyond traditional international relations by incorporating perspectives from political economy, cultural studies, history, philosophy, and sociology to understand how ideas, institutions, and power circulate globally.

At its core, Global Thought seeks to:

• Analyse global power dynamics beyond national boundaries.
• Examine historical and contemporary forms of globalisation.
• Critique Western-centric epistemologies and promote pluralistic perspectives.
• Explore issues such as migration, global justice, digitalisation, climate change, and transnational governance.

Competing Definitions of Global Thought

There are multiple ways scholars conceptualise Global Thought, with some key debates:

1. Critical Global Thought: This perspective, associated with thinkers such as Walter Mignolo, Dipesh Chakrabarty, and Boaventura de Sousa Santos, challenges Eurocentrism and argues for epistemic decolonisation—acknowledging the multiplicity of knowledge systems beyond the Western canon.
2. Pragmatic Global Thought: Some scholars approach it as a problem-solving discipline, emphasising policy-oriented research on governance, economics, and human rights in a world of increasing interdependence.
3. Historical Global Thought: Scholars in this tradition, such as those influenced by world-systems theory (e.g., Immanuel Wallerstein) or global history (e.g., Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Kenneth Pomeranz), see global thought as a way of understanding historical continuities in global integration.
4. Comparative Global Thought: This approach investigates how different civilisations, regions, and philosophical traditions conceptualise the world order, drawing from both Western and non-Western intellectual traditions.

INTER- emerges from the Critical Global Thought tradition, but accepts submissions across the full interdisciplinary spectrum of Global Thought. Submit your draft today!