Abstract
This article examines the development of partnerships between universities and cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in countries of the Global South, with a focus on Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Argentina, Malaysia, China, and Russia. The concept of the Global South used here is geopolitical rather than strictly geographical: it refers to countries and regions that have historically occupied subordinate positions in the international order, sharing experiences of colonialism, economic dependency, and asymmetric knowledge flows (Dados & Connell, 2012; Mignolo, 2011). Drawing on a South-South cultural policy framework, the article argues that these partnerships are not mere replications of hegemonic models from the Global North, but distinct forms of creative governance shaped by postcolonial trajectories, regional solidarities, and the imperatives of cultural self-determination. It concludes that shared challenges – precarious public funding, fragile private-sector CCI infrastructure, and persistent asymmetries in international knowledge flows – constitute a basis for South-South solidarity and the development of indigenous frameworks for creative cultural policy.