+ introduction to colonialism module history of culture lecture friday, april 3 maryam arain
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+Why does history matter?
What happens in the present, and what will happen in the future, is largely governed by what happened in the past.
History shows us how cultures interact, how cultures change, and how cultures we experience and embody came to be
+Why does colonialism matter?Biopolitics- body politics
Obsession with skin whitenessGender binary and gender norms
Use and power of English language
Ethnic differences
Class structure and capitalism
Desire to move abroad; growth of transnational and immigrant identities
The knowledge we consume- the theories we study; e.g. semiotics – Saussure
+Colonialism versus Imperialism Imperialism is IDEA-DRIVEN control over another
part of the world- through politics, economics or culture
Colonialism is the rule of one country over another, e.g. Britain India, Belgium in the Congo, Japan in Korea, France in Algeria, US in Philippines US in Iraq? Israel in Palestine?
POWER IS ALWAYS AT PLAY
Domination of the Other.
+What is colonialism?
Violent roots: latin ‘colonia’ meant settlement of Roman citizens in newly conquered territory
English ‘colony’ simply meant farm, rural, settled or country estate before late 18th century
(noun) the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically
“the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory from another territory. It is a set of unequal relations between the colonial power and the colony, often between the colonists and the indigenous population.”
+What is Cultural Imperialism?
The practice of promoting and imposing a culture, usually of politically powerful nations over less potent societies Forced acculturation of a subject population OR Voluntary embracing of a foreign culture by individuals with
free will
The extent is not easily measurable
Cultural legacy of colonialism
Production of knowledge and representations of the ‘Other’
What are some examples of concepts, products and political beliefs that have
spread through forces of cultural imperialism?
+Spread of European colonialismMotives: Economic: resource-poor countries seek resources elsewhere
(“resource curse”)
Moral/religious: ‘civilizing mission’ “White Man’s Burden” Rudyard Kipling (1899) – racialized
morality “half devil and half child” “the blame of those ye better,/ the hate of those ye guard”
Key moments:
1402: Spanish Empire begins with invasion of Canary Islands
1492: “Discovery” of the Americas; expeditions increase
1830: Start of French conquest of Algeria
1885: Treaty of Berlin
1885-1910: Scramble for Africa
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Source: http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/ellpatke/EN4880B/EN4880B%20Index2010.htm
World Empires in 1914
+Types of colonial rule
Chartered companies: businesses take land and resources with purely economic motives, little/no administration
Direct rule: establish a home base in a claimed territory- transplant language, culture & system of government- undermining of traditional institutions- assimilation
Indirect rule: laws made by colonial powers but enforced by locals; locals used as intermediaries- collaboration
Settler colonies: Europeans moved to the new region, expropriated land, and forced locals to move
What type of rule did the British have in India?
+Effects of colonialism
India was the world's largest economy for the majority of the 1,700 years before the entrenchment of the British East India Company. (Angus Maddison, Cambridge University economic historian)
"When the British came, there was, throughout India, a system of communal schools managed by village communities. The agents of the East India Company destroyed these village communities. " (William Durant, American historian)
Under British rule, India suffered more famines in mere decades than during the preceding 1,000 years.
Abhaey Singh, “The Greatest Cover-up in History?”, Huffington Post UK, 8 Aug 2013.
+How colonialism affects our identities and culture?
Our NATIONAL identities spring from BORDERS that were created under COLONIAL REGIMES Durand Line (1893)- between Pakistan and Afghanistan – cuts
through Pashtun tribal areas
Administration and policies that were set up still exist today Frontiers Crimes Regulation – set of laws in FATA states that denies
residents the right to appeal, the right to legal representation and the right to present evidence Murderous Outrages Regulation (1901)
English-language learning Sharia law CODIFIED by British
Inferiority complexes and internalized racism: “the internalization by people of racist attitudes towards members of their own ethnic group, including themselves”
+Disrupting some binaries
“First World” versus “Third World” Origins of the terms: “Second World”
What’s wrong with using “West” and “East”? “Global south”, “global north”
Distinction is not geographical but socio-economic and political
Global north controls 4/5 of income earned WORLDWIDE
Global north owns 90% of manufacturing industries WORLDWIDE
Global south is home to 3/4 of the world’s population Global south provides raw materials
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