The Fourth World is an extension of the
three-world model
The terms '' First World'', ''Second World'', and ''Third World'' were originally used to divide the world's nations into three categories. The complete overthrow of the pre–World War II status quo left two superpowers (the United States and ...
, used variably to refer to
# Sub-populations socially excluded from
global society
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
, such as
uncontacted peoples
Uncontacted peoples are groups of Indigenous peoples living without sustained contact with neighbouring communities and the world community. Groups who decide to remain uncontacted are referred to as indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation. Leg ...
;
#
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...
,
nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
ic,
pastoral
The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...
, and some
subsistence farming
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occ ...
peoples living beyond the modern industrial norm.
# Sub-populations existing in a
First World
The concept of the First World was originally one of the " Three Worlds" formed by the global political landscape of the Cold War, as it grouped together those countries that were aligned with the Western Bloc of the United States. This groupin ...
country, but with the living standards of those of a
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...
.
The term is not commonly used. "Fourth World" has also been used to refer to other parts of the world in relation to the three-world model.
Etymology
''Fourth World'' follows the
First World
The concept of the First World was originally one of the " Three Worlds" formed by the global political landscape of the Cold War, as it grouped together those countries that were aligned with the Western Bloc of the United States. This groupin ...
,
Second World
The Second World was one of the " Three Worlds" formed by the global political landscape of the Cold War, as it grouped together those countries that were aligned with the Eastern Bloc of the Soviet Union and allies in Warsaw Pact. This grouping ...
, and
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...
classification of nation-state status; however, unlike the former categories, ''Fourth World'' is not spatially bounded, and is usually used to refer to size and shape which does not map onto citizenship in a specific nation-state. It can denote
nation
A nation is a type of social organization where a collective Identity (social science), identity, a national identity, has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, such as language, history, ethnicity, culture, t ...
s without a
sovereign state
A sovereign state is a State (polity), state that has the highest authority over a territory. It is commonly understood that Sovereignty#Sovereignty and independence, a sovereign state is independent. When referring to a specific polity, the ter ...
, emphasizing the perceived non-recognition and exclusion of ethnically- and religiously-defined peoples from the politico-economic world system, such as the
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
Indigenous groups
*List of Indigenous peoples
*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
groups throughout North, Central and South America. Spanish
sociologist Manuel Castells
Manuel Castells Oliván (; born 9 February 1942) is a Spanish sociologist. He is well known for his authorship of a trilogy of works, entitled '' The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture''. He is a scholar of the information society, c ...
of the
has made extensive use of the term ''fourth world''.
Coinage
The term was coined in 1969 by Father
Joseph Wresinski
Joseph Wresinski (12 February 1917 – 14 February 1988) was a French priest and humanitarian activist who was born in Angers and died in Suresnes.
Biography
Born to immigrant parents, Wresinski grew up in poverty and experienced social exclusion ...
when he renamed the charity he had founded in 1957 with families from the
Noisy-le-Grand
Noisy-le-Grand () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The commune of Noisy-le-Grand is part of the sector of Porte de Paris, one of the four sectors of the "new town" of Marne-la-Vallée ...
(France)
shanty town
A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...
to
''ATD Quart Monde''.
The term was recycled in the 1970s by Mbuto Milando, first secretary of the
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
n
High Commission, in conversation with
George Manuel
George Manuel, OC (February 21, 1921 – November 15, 1989) was an Indigenous leader in Canada. Born and raised in British Columbia, he became politically active there and in Alberta. In 1970 he was elected and served until 1976 as chief of the ...
, Chief of the National Indian Brotherhood (now the
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations (, AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations ( Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood ...
). Milando stated that "When Native peoples come into their own, on the basis of their own cultures and traditions, that will be the Fourth World."
Since publication of Manuel's ''The Fourth World: An Indian Reality'' (1974), the term ''Fourth World'' became synonymous with stateless, poor, and marginal nations. Since 1979, think tanks such as the
Center for World Indigenous Studies
The Center for World Indigenous Studies (CWIS) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 1979 by Rudolph C. Ryser, PhD (Oneida/Cree) and Chief George Manuel (Secwepemc). CWIS is a global community of indigenous studies activists and scholar ...
have used the term in defining the relationships between ancient,
tribal
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
, and non-industrial nations and modern industrialised nation-states. With the 2007 UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
File:2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples voting map.svg , , ,
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP or DOTROIP) is a legally non-binding United Nations resolution passed by the United Nations in 2007 ...
, communications and organizing amongst Fourth World peoples have accelerated in the form of international treaties between aboriginal nations for the purposes of trade, travel, and security.
In the Indian left movement,
M. P. Parameswaran
M. P. Parameswaran is an Indian nuclear engineer and educationist, who played an important role in the Indian nuclear programme. In 2022, he was honoured with Kerala Sree Award, third highest civilian award given by the Government of Kerala.
...
's ideas on the fourth world caused widespread debates, which eventually led to his expulsion from the
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...
in 2004.
See also
*
Least developed countries
The least developed countries (LDCs) are developing countries listed by the United Nations that exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development. The concept of LDCs originated in the late 1960s and the first group of LDCs was listed b ...
*
National wealth
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
Fourth World JournalInternational Movement ATD Fourth WorldFourth World Center for the Study of Indigenous Law and Politicsat University of Colorado at Denver
on archive.orgFourth World Eye
Fourth World Documentation Program
{{Global economic classifications
Economic country classifications
Imperialism studies