This reflection will discuss the concept of colonialism and post-colonialism, with a particular focus on the impact in planning. Although both concepts are not new, Ania Loomba in her book “Colonialism and Post Colonialism” provides a more exhaustive research on the regards. She argues that colonialism is the physical occupation of territory whereas post colonialism deals with effect of colonization on culture and societies. She also expanded the concepts including two new terms imperialism and Neo-colonialism. This is not only a semantic discussion but also a way to raise awareness of the (over)simplification that many authors have applied to studies in this field.
Despite that there is some recognition that colonialism and post-colonialism is important, Loomba raises some warnings in this regards. Although that most of the countries that were in one point of their history colonized by a western nation are freed now, they are facing a new type of domination: the domination through the economic system. In most of the cases some form of capitalism. Most of the development of the western nation are due to cheap (or free) labor and production factors that were obtained through violence from the colonized nations. Could it possible for US to develop the cotton industry without slavery? Could Spain finance every single war without the Inca’s gold? Could Great Britain that industrialized nation without their colonies? So when These nation complains about the development
In his second chapter, D’Souza makes his second point clear: Westernization and Colonization help years later. They both help countries move forward, essentially giving them the tools to succeed many years in the future, but the people of this world are not a group to look ahead. They want instant satisfaction, which cannot be guaranteed with ruling countries hundreds of miles
There is an extensive history empirical power, repeatedly and successfully controlling another state or group of people in order to exploit it economically. In Southeast Asia there were 5 colonial powers; the United Kingdom, France, Dutch, America, and Japan, their primary motives for establishing colonies in the region was to get control of trade routes, to get access to the natural resources and raw materials, and the cheap labor, as well as to establish naval and military bases so that they could amass influence in the region. Prior to World War II, a third of the world 's area was colonized by European colonial powers between the 15th and 19th centuries, and another third of the world 's population were in colonies, dependencies, protectorates, or dominions. In this essay, I will focus on the British and French colonization in Southeast Asia. The British-controlled Burma, most of the Malayan peninsula, and Singapore, which was a strategic port and later became a naval base for the British. Meanwhile, the French controlled the adjoining countries of Vietnamese, Cambodia, and Laos, collectively known as French Indochina. This period of colonization in Southeast Asia brought many changes to the regions society, politics, and the economy. For instance, both colonial powers introduced political changes such as introducing a centralized form of government and changes to the justice systems in many of the colonized countries. There were also social impacts resulting from the
Colonialism is the reason the world is how it’s today geographically, culturally, socially and in many other aspects. The economic systems such as capitalism was derived from the earliest period of colonialism, with the Spanish imposing taxes on the Indians and the cheap labor the Indians provided. However, the beginning of colonization in the Americas confine with a deadly period of slavery and the termination of Indian populations. For example, the introduction of diseases such as smallpox which cause the death of millions of Native Americans. It was the largest smallpox epidemic, it spread across most of the continent of North America. Thus, with colonization, regardless from which nation or empires was coming from, diseases were introduced to populations with
When the colonies become ruled by a mother country this means the natives will most likely become slaves (Document 2). The European countries will benefit from their labor. In Africa missionaries came and the natives didn't like them (Document 4). The Africans thought of them very negatively because they used religion as means to gain trust so they could conquest the natives land. Also, new diseases were introduced to the natives by the Europeans. There were many more negative effects of imperialism in Africa like their loss of dignity and their ability to lead themselves (Document 6). This is because the Europeans taught them that their culture was inferior to theirs. In the political cartoon in Document 7, it shows a cartoonist implying that Europeans work the natives in the colonies very hard all for the money. They don't care about the natives well being. In India, the British took over and many bad effects occurred as result to this. Like, Indian resources going straight to Britain. Also British manufactured good replaced Indian local industry. Farmers were forced to grow cash crops like tea and cotton and Indians went hungry. Also, top jobs were reserved for the British. This left many Indians unemployed. The Indians were treated as inferiors in their own country. Many wars broke out due to racism and which mother country wanted which colony. Like in Africa the Boers War in 1899 was a confrontation between the English and the Dutch when England wanted to take the Cape Colony from the Dutch. Another war in Africa caused by Imperialism is the Zulu war. The Zulu war was caused by British aggression. In China the Opium war was between Great Britain and China. It began in 1839 as a conflict over the opium trade that ended in 1842 with the opening of five Chinese ports to foreign merchants. But the worst effect of Imperialism is when the mother country tries to replace the culture of the
For example, much of the land was conquered and destroyed by imperialists to build farms, factories, towns, and mines. While at a mine in South Africa, Anthony Trollope wrote, “There is not a blade of grass in the place, and I seemed to breathe dust rather than air” (Doc 1). Land was usually taken by force for profit of the imperialists. For instance, in India farms that would usually grow food were taken over and forced to grow cash crops for the British. Because of this, famine was common in imperialized countries. The farmers and workers didn’t even receive much money for their work. They were paid barely enough for food and many families were living in poverty. The Europeans also brought harmful substances to these underdeveloped countries. For instance in China the British brought over Opium, an addictive drug, to the chinese for trade. The Chinese tried to stop opium trade by sending threatening letters that stated things like, “By what principle of reason then should these foreigners send in return a poisonous drug, which involves in destruction those very natives of china” (Doc 6). Another negative of imperialism was a white minority now ruled over the majority of natives. For example in India, the British held most of the political and economic power, while indians became second class citizens in their own
Only the strongest, the imperialist powers will rule the world. As nationalism grows, the citizens of the European nations show pride and love toward their country, along with this developed Social Darwinism, where the Europeans viewed themselves as more superior human beings, all this led to New Imperialism during the early 1900s. In addition, with the new advancement in technology the European decided to change the world for the better good. According to Document 1, colonies are a valuable source of money to the European nations for many reasons. Despite being a powerful nation, the lack of raw material was a problem, thus the colonies provided the materials. The raw materials weren’t the sole reason to colonize a weak nation, the nation was overpopulated, thus
Did you know the word imperialism is derived from the Latin verb "imperare", which means 'to command' and from the Roman concept of "imperium" (expansion). Imperialism was introduced in 1870 for the purpose of arranging footholds and trading posts on the coasts of Africa and China, exploring the New World, and settling down colonies in North and South America, before ending in 1914. The few leading nations were: United States of America, Great Britain, Japan, and Germany; and the prime developing nations were: Africa and China. With the background of imperialism, we still have this burning question: Was imperialism beneficial to developing nations? The answer is no, because it is important to realize, developing nations were stripped of their
Canada has been well regarded with its attitude towards multiculturalism, establishing an Act that protects the rights of people who have different beliefs and the encouragement for all cultures to work together. While being the only country to have a policy such as the Multiculturalism Act, racism has been a part of Canadian history, including but not limited to the colonialism of Indigenous Peoples and the internment of Japanese Canadians. The effects of colonialism on indigenous culture and the treatment of Japanese Canadians are reflected in the novels Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson and Obasan by Joy Kogawa. The main characters of the novels, Lisamarie in Monkey Beach and Naomi in Obasan, both come to terms with the effects of growing up in minority communities in British Columbia, as well as discovering their own identities, by reflecting on their pasts during a time of family tragedies. Lisamarie struggles with accepting and understanding her spirituality in a family that mostly ignores and denies their connections to the spirituality of their ancestors, due to the effects of colonialism and residential schools. Naomi reflects on her family being removed from their homes and the racism that the Japanese faced after the Pearl Harbour attack. Robinson and Kogawa use their protagonists to look back to the past and reflect on the events that have shaped their families. Lisamarie discovers how spirituality and relationships have been molded due to the colonialism and the
Colonization can be dated back to 1492 with the Spanish venture led by Columbus. Colonialism is defined as “The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically” (Oxford Dictionary).This expedition spread European influence worldwide, in places such as China, Lebanon, India, and Antigua. European influence is still prevalent today through the crossing of racial lines and shifting of cultures towards a more ‘civilized’ way of living. Colonialism is still prevalent today, in the form of postcolonialism. Postcolonialism can be defined as America’s benefaction to nations worldwide that include dynamic influences in things such as: government, culture, education and economy. One of the concepts erected from colonialism is globalization. Since globalization is a direct effect of colonialism, it is no surprise that globalization influences the same categories as postcolonialism (government, culture, education and economy), making the two concepts almost synonymous— with minimal differences. Globalization is defined as the integration of economics and communications of nations through increased contact by technology. Globalization dominates the economic and social side of the field while postcolonialism dwells in the cultural and educational aspects. This European ‘gift’ has contributed to global conflicts,
The study of British colonialism is a rather new field with much to discuss and a lot more to debate. The recent recognition of new nation-states that were once under the control of Britain was a growing phenomenon and one that continues to play a large role in today’s global politics. Since the rather recent period of these new nations, new study’s have been done into the history of a) the peoples that inhabited the land before Britain, b) the way Britain occupied and control and land, and now c) post-Britain. This is a growing topic in the historical field because seventy-five years ago there was no thought that Britain would relieve control of India or Nigeria. That is why post-British colonialism is important to today, because it is a
Culture is passed down to us by the previous generation and we are expected to uphold the traditions of our culture, it becomes a symbol of our way of life, a reminder of our identity, and guides us. When our traditions are scrutinized and silenced it deals a blow to our identity as a whole causing us to become lost in our own way of life, some of us may lash out at the ones who attempt to silence our culture while others become integrated with the new societal norm. This becomes a problem as we start fighting with our own, damaging the bonds that we have created. In the novel Monkey Beach, Eden Robinson uses the setting of a First Nations village situated in modern times called Kitamaat to depict how First Nations people have suffered due to the ever so present effects of colonialism. Colonialism has caused the First Nations people to endure many hardships by attempting to assimilate them into modern European influenced society through the use of residential schools. Due to this, throughout the novel we see a village whose residents struggle with maintaining a sense of identity, some wish to hold on to the old ways of their ancestors while the others wish to move on and become a part of the Western culture that is surrounding them. In the novel, we see the effects of colonialism through the life of a young woman named Lisamarie Hill, Lisa struggles with her identity as her parents have adopted a modern Canadian style of living while her
If prompted with the question what is colonization and or how did Europe and America colonize different countries and peoples the answer might be as simple as: it was the process of taking land from other countries and pushing to change the peoples of those countries towards western ways. This answer is to simple, a lot of people do not know the motives behind colonizing another country. Even though the motives behind colonizing another country depend on the time and location of the colonizing, Europe and America have always set above every other country around the world. They title themselves as being superior to all others. Thus, a lot of countries bought into the western ways and believe Westerners to be “demigod”. In Michael Adas essay, Contested Hegemony: The Great War and the Afro-Asian Assault on the Civilizing-Mission, even though the focus is on the ups and downs of colonization in Asia and Africa. The essay looks at the motives behind colonizing these peoples, why some bought into the idea and how World War One changed everything for Europe, Asia and Africa in terms of colonization.
Due to the influence of Marxist principles, there is some level of confusion in the usage of the terms imperialism and colonialism. This is due to the similarities of their practice, ending in an interchangeably usage of both terms. First, both imperialism and colonialism involve political and economic involvement over a particular territory. However, in the past colonies and empires deferred drastically. colonialism practices the relocation of population to a new territory, while maintaining political adherence to their country. This implies a political control over a territory and a loss of its sovereignty, which involves the suppression of individuals. Referring to the extension of sovereignty over a territory establishing political control over it as a source of power. “The term colony comes from the Latin word
What effect has decolonization brought? The decolonized nations cope with their own course of action on all fronts - economic, social, political and cultural. Even as they struggle to rid themselves of the shackles of the erstwhile influences, they try to regain touch with their ‘golden past’ and also believe in a brighter future. With centuries of economic exploitation to undo, it does seem to be a daunting task. However, colonial theorists like Frantz Fanon believe that the colony regaining its place in the order, returning to its hierarchic origin is but inevitable.
Colonialism, which was a major cause of the north-south gap that occurred in the period following the Second World War, is the takeover by a nation of foreign territories; making them part of it to aid its own economical, social and political structures. The mother countries succeed in doing that by using the colony’s natural resources, money savings, and their lands, which leads the colony to rely on the mother country and therefore, leaving the country underdeveloped. Hence, the world wide scramble for colonies, particularly in the late 19th – early 20th century, had a tremendous negative effect on the economic, social, and political structures of indigenous, non-industrialized peoples.