DOES THE CONCEPT OF THE 'THIRD WORLD' HAVE ANY HISTORIC VALUE? Long out of fashion, the term 'Third World' emerged amid the political polarisation of the Cold War. Now there is war in Europe again, and renewed talk of Non-Alignment. Does the 'Global South' exist?

DEVELOPING countries; POLARIZATION (Social sciences); IMPERIALISM; HISTORY of colonies

The article presents the views of experts on the historic value of the concept of the Third World which emerged during the political polarization of the Cold War. Topics include the origin of the term and its reception in much of Africa, Asia and Latin America, thoughts on the emergence of Third World as social and political rather than geographical, its historical value in the manifestation of colonialism, and its disappearance in the past decades to give rise to depoliticized Global South.