In this article, I argue that while the Global South has replaced the Third World as the prevalent term for describing structural global inequalities in International Relations, little research is directed at its theoretical implications. I discuss the conceptual evolution of the term from the Third World narrative, interpreting the literature as an implicit rejection of myopic ontologies relying on economic, cultural, or political hierarchies. I then suggest connecting the terminology to the theory of functional differentiation. By avoiding forms inherited from classical social theory, the Global South can be conceptualized in a more productive way that is better attuned to contemporary theoretical discussions.

中文翻译：

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分化理论和作为国际关系元地理学的全球南方

在本文中，我认为虽然全球南方已经取代第三世界成为描述国际关系中结构性全球不平等的流行术语，但很少有研究针对其理论含义。我从第三世界的叙述中讨论了该术语的概念演变，将文献解释为对依赖经济、文化或政治等级的近视本体的隐含拒绝。然后我建议将术语与功能分化理论联系起来。通过避免从经典社会理论中继承的形式，全球南方可以以更有效的方式被概念化，从而更好地适应当代理论讨论。