Decolonising polycrisis: Southern perspectives on interlocking crises

Kanchana N Ruwanpura, Gustav Cederlöf and Vasna Ramasar
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Kanchana N Ruwanpura: Development Geography, Human Geography Institute, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Gustav Cederlöf: School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Vasna Ramasar: Department of Human Geography, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Environment and Planning A, 2025, vol. 57, issue 6, 697-703

Abstract: This commentary argues that the concept of ‘polycrisis’ must be critically reoriented through a decolonial lens, particularly about the global South, where overlapping crises have long been the norm. While ‘polycrisis’ has become a buzzword among global economic and political elites, scholars have studied its relevance mainly for the global North. Using the climate and debt crises as two entry points, we delineate how these crises interlock in the global South, calling for the decolonisation of the political economy and global governance architectures. Deeper theoretical development of polycrisis is required, informed by experiences in the global South. We propose an agenda for geographers and critical scholars to (1) engage more rigorously with polycrisis as an analytical tool, and (2) gain a more nuanced understanding of crisis narratives and crisis complexity from global South experiences.

Keywords: Polycrisis; decolonisation; debt crisis; climate crisis; global South (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envira:v:57:y:2025:i:6:p:697-703

DOI: 10.1177/0308518X251345308

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