Chapter 2 - Understanding Colonialism
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Chapter 2 - Understanding Colonialism
Transcript of Chapter 2 - Understanding Colonialism
Chapter 2 - Understanding Colonialism
•What is Colonialism?
•What is Imperialism?
Colonialism is…….
• The establishment and maintenance for an extended time, of rule over an alien people that is separate and subordinate to the ruling power - King (1976)
The policy or practice of acquiring political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. – Oxford Dictionary (1999)
The establishment of domination of a geographically extended political unit, most often inhabited by people of a different race and culture, where this domination is political and economic and the colony exists subordinated to and dependent on the mother country.- Blauer
Colonialism is…….
• Colonialism is often defined as a system of government, which seeks to defend an unequal system of commodity exchange – Corbridge (1993).
Said (1979) maintains that colonialism exited in order to impose the superiority of the European way of life on that of the Oriental, a colonization of minds and bodies as much as that of space and economies and ‘much harder to transcend or throw off’.
Imperialism is…….• Some Definitions of Imperialism:• ‘A policy of extending a country’s power and influence
through colonization, use of military force, or other means’ (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1999)
• The above definition leads to discrepancies in the chronology of imperialism. For example,
• Maxist (Leninist) analysts believe that this monopoly stage of capitalism only began around the start of the twentieth century (Bell 1980)
• Another more broadly reaching definition is,• ‘both formal colonies and privileged positions in markets,
protected sources of materials and extended opportunities for profitable employment of labour’ (Barratt-Brown, 1974: 22)
Principal Processes of Colonialism
Phases of Colonialism and Imperialism
Spanish and Portuguese Colonialism
Spanish and Portuguese Colonialism
Mercantile Colonialism – Plantation System and Forced Labor
Mercantile Colonialism – The Plantation System and Forced Labor
Mercantile Colonialism – Intensified Trade Links
• By the mid 1700s, Europeans were trading with Asia and coastal Africa without settlement
• In Asia, Europeans traded and resided in intermediary ports such as Macau
Mercantile Colonialism – Intensified Trade Links
• Non Europeans were regarded as cultural equals
• No extensive colonial settlements in Asia/Africa
• No dominant-subordinate relationship yet
Mercantile Colonialism – Intensified Trade Links
• Trade in Asia and Africa began to expand.
• European Trading Companies began to systematically organize it
• Increased European presence, and involvement in local politics
