This paper discusses the way that imperialist controllers, of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, used gender roles to enforce a colonialist view of society on the colony.
Abstract This paper explains that patriarchal culture often has preconceived
notions of superiority and ideas of backwardness about the colony, which evidenced in the European colonialist's fear of slipping into a pre-industrial state in which nature is left uncontrolled. The author points out that women were expected to take up roles of Christian missionaries and other colonial interventionists and that the central gender and societal concern was the amount of male violence used to control the colonial society. The paper relates that the Euro-centric gender
standard was enforced on the native culture, which, in many cases, were matriarchal societies.
From the Paper "In looking at gender and the interaction of masculine and feminine roles in the colonial setting, material culture perspectives generally (and not in all cases) tend to see the progress of culture and mass media within colonial outlets in terms of the way they have developed in a unitizing and progressive historical perspective. Although feminist perspectives may focus on historical change within these portrayals, they are more likely to also focus on the things that haven't changed. "Not surprisingly, much of the racism or paternalism found in memoirs of colonial women focuses upon servants and substantiates this aspect of the charge leveled at them as destructive women. Yet colonial men expressed the same racism through their own work as administrators, business owners, or settlers." This perspective is displayed variously in relevant literature, in terms of masculine and feminine roles which perpetuated various aspects of the dominant culture in its tools of oppression."
Abstract In "Dislocating Cultures", Uma Narayan discusses the critique that exists in terms of "the colonialist stance" in feminist inquiry. She argues that one does not have to be a colonizer, nor a Western feminist, to perpetrate "the colonialist stance." It is a question, instead, of an approach that "replicates problematic aspects of Western representations of Third World nations and communities, aspects that have their roots in the history of colonization." In other words, Third World women who think that they are denouncing and repudiating "Westernization" are often actually perpetuating the colonization of themselves, as well as of all other women in their society.
Abstract This paper explains that the French Foreign Legion was and continues to be a legitimate fighting force, unique to France and the French experience, while still capturing the collective imagination of the world. The author points out that the legacy of the Legion's colonialist history and its impact on the perceptions of non-French nations is of an occupying force; the legacy they left behind is one of suffering, tragedy, and oppression. The paper relates that the French Foreign Legion is historically a remarkable organization, marked by extreme loyalty, diversity, and strength; its current role is as a U.N. directed force.
From the Paper "The Legion was founded in the year 1831 by King Louis Philippe. Although, without question, the Legion is patently French in its ideology, loyalty, and outlook, it is actually an international band of soldiers, joined together to fight for the interests of France. To be sure, because of its rather "eclectic" nature, many consider the Legion to be the essence of mercenary armies, a ragtag band of men of every nationality, race, and even creed"as well as of every moral and ethical standard, from the brutish thug, to the idealistic soldier, fighting for God and country. However, the true French Foreign Legion is not so simple. In fact, to the French people, themselves, the Legion is a force imbibed with a rich and honorable history"a representation of the collective French consciousness of the power of France, in spite of its international membership."
Abstract The paper analyzes the novella, "Year of the Elephant", written by the Moroccan feminist author Leila Abouzied, which takes place within the town of Meknes, Morocco in the later 1950's, following the successful Moroccan War of Independence against French colonialist power. The paper discusses how, as the story opens, Moroccan sovereignty and a strong national sense of independence, pride, and ethnic and religious identity have finally been restored. The paper further analyzes how the character of Zahra, who, alongside her freedom fighter husband of twenty years helped to bring all of this about, is sadder, more displaced, more disoriented, and less confident than she has ever been. The writer concludes that the major strength of Leila Abouzied's novella lies within the author's depiction of Zahra herself, and her painful, but ultimately triumphant, struggle for a new authenticity, self-confidence, and worth.
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From the Paper "Zahra's personal struggle, moreover, is juxtaposed against her vivid memories of the upheaval and chaos of civil war within a nation in which everyone, not just Zahra, seemed to have temporarily lost his or her sense of place. For Zahra herself, though, this personal sense of chaos and severe displacement lingers well beyond the revolution. Zahra's eventual epiphany is that it is what one recognizes lies within one's self, rather than anything external, that creates and maintains authentic feelings of worth. This novella, like the Algerian feminist author Assia Djebar's novel Children of the New World (1962), is clearly both a feminist and an anti-colonialist work."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that slavery developed in North America during Colonial times. The writer notes that a year before the Mayflower landed in Massachusetts, English colonialists brought slaves to Virginia. The writer points out that they came because during this age of mercantilism, Europeans believed that the best way for countries to acquire wealth was to colonize and exploit the colonized country for its resources, such as gold, silver, furs, fish, timber, tobacco, sugar and rice. The writer notes that all of these resources required labor and industry, and often colonialists enslaved the indigenous people in the country they were exploiting. The writer then looks at the issue of slavery as it relates to the Civil War.
From the Paper "As time went on, the focus of American justification shifted from the religion of the person to the color of the person. At first, slaves had a chance to become free if they converted to Christianity, gave particularly meritorious service to the master, or were able to buy themselves out. But as the religious reasons for enslaving them faded over time, race became the deciding factor for who could be a slave. Black Africans were slaves. White people owned them as chattel, and blacks were property. The slaves' whole life was about work. That was their reason for existing in the slave-owner's point of view. They did all the dirty work, the nasty jobs, and everything that was dangerous. This was particularly true in the South where the whole economy rested on free labor."
The following paper discusses Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" and Aphra Behn's "Oroonoko" with specific reference to the characters in these two novels who express a range of opinions on the propriety and morality of European colonialist enterprises.
Abstract This paper argues that despite the ambivalence that lies at the heart of "Robinson Crusoe" and "Oroonoko", each of them can be said to be in the end a strong challenge to British imperialism. It is of the opinion of this writer that while neither author combines imperialist practices outright or without ambivalence, they do not need to do so to mount a challenge to imperialism.
From the Paper ?Thus as we read these two novels we find ourselves repeatedly asking which character in the novel ? in which there are bound to be differences amongst the characters ? best expresses the views of the author? Are do all of the characters inevitably reflect an author's world view in some way? And what if the author himself or herself is conflicted about the nature of the world? Perhaps indeed they are writing the novel precisely as a way through which they themselves can come to terms with conflicting values and ideas in their own lives. That seems to be the most likely explanation in this case.?
Abstract This paper discusses the conflict between the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda and their tribes called the Hutus and the Tutsis. It provides a history of the current problem and examines the ethnic issues at the core of the conflict. Zimbabwe's relation to the conflict is also discussed as well as the impact of this crisis on central Africa's society and economy.
From the Paper "The African region has always been a region at war with itself. Since the time when this region was under the colonial umbrella, to now when the influence is mainly indirect in the form of TNC?s, Africa has been unable to find the answer to its internal problems. When the colonialists lost their direct influence in the region, it was expected that finally the time has come that Africa's own leaders will stand up for their respective country's rights but that did not materialize as one after the other, self serving leaders found their way to power. The Great Lakes Crisis is a saga in the epic that concerns the nations that were previously under the French sphere of influence. "
Abstract The paper investigates the causes, objectives and results of the Vietnamese Revolution of 1945, led by Ho Chi Mingh, in reaction to years of slavery inflicted by French imperialists.
From the Paper "The Vietnamese revolutionaries had many objectives. First, and foremost, they sought to free Vietnam from the rule of oppressive French imperialism, and subsequent Japanese occupation. The Revolutionaries sought not only to free themselves from oppression, but to create a great society of equality, where no person was superior to each other. The Revolutionaries wanted to improve the living conditions of the common people, and free them from slavery and poor working conditions. This communist objective led the Revolutionaries to attempt to create a state where all citizens were equal."
A proposal for hands-on projects, discussions and assignments for fifth graders to illustrate artistic responses emanating from both the Holocaust and from slavery in America.
1,245 words (approx. 5 pages), 5 sources, 2002, $ 42.95
Abstract This paper addresses the question, "How did artistic expression that arose from oppression suffered by Holocaust victims and slaves of early America help provide inspiration and cultural works of record?" The writer suggests that through the artistic expression of those who succeeded despite their oppression, we can inspire and motivate fifth-grade students. A program of discussion sessions, role-playing and hands-on projects aimed at helping the students to learn concepts in math, science, language arts and social studies is outlined.
From the Paper "Through the analysis of artwork, social studies lessons can unfold. We will learn whether stories portrayed in paintings, sculpture, writings and music have been skewed by history and what significance they represent today to students of math, science, language arts and social studies. In addition, there are dozens of stories where people have escaped the clutches of either a tyrant slave master or cruel Nazi. Many discussions can evolve from both sets of experiences. Through these discussions and analyses, fifth-grade students can also come to understand perseverance, a lesson that can't be taught through multiplication tables."
Abstract This paper discusses the book, "Eight Eurocentric Historians": Max Weber, Lynn White, Jr., Robert Brenner, Eric L. Jones, Michael Mann, John A. Hall, Jared Diamond, and David Landes. This paper describes the book's thesis that challenges the concept of European diffusionism, the belief that the rise of Europe to modernity and world dominance is due to some unique European quality of race, environment, culture, mind or spirit and that progress for the rest of the world results from the diffusion of European civilization. The paper author states that the role of each of these eight historians in generating colonialist understandings of history is not only proven to be extinct but also to be based on fallacious assumptions.
From the Paper "The book first defines the eurocentric diffusionist model of the world as one that invents a permanent world core, an "Inside", in which cultural evolution is natural and continuous, and a permanent periphery, an "Outside", in which cultural evolution is mainly an effect of the diffusion of ideas, commodities, settlers and political control from the core. The ethno history of the doctrine is traced from its 16th-century origins, through its efflorescence in the period of classical colonialism, to its present form in theories of economic development, modernization and new world order. Blaut demonstrates that most "Western" scholarship is to some extent diffusionist and based implicitly on the idea that the world has one permanent center from which culture-changing ideas tend to emanate. Eurocentric diffusionism has shaped our attitudes concerning race and the environment, psychology and society, technology and politics."
Abstract This paper briefly discusses the benefits and advantages of the colonization of the Americas and the New World. It shows how the opening up of these borders provided new trade routes and a new assortments of goods being presented on each side of the ocean. It discusses the economic benefit to the colonies and explains how the colonialist managed to learn skills from the locals by trading their material goods.
From the Paper "Along with these new trade routes came a new economic power as the colonies found themselves dependent on their imperialist motherland. As the colonies discovered their new home, and battled the hardships surrounding their founding of communities, it must have been a relief to know they could depend on Britain to supply them with the goods and supplies they needed to survive."'
Abstract This is an in-depth paper of what the country of South Africa went through during the years of Dutch and British colonization. Discusses issues such as segregation, apartheid and freedom fighting. It begins with the Dutch colonization in 1652 and how this impacted the life of the African and Khoi Khoi natives. It examines how these early relationships gave rise to the hundreds of years of oppression and discrimination of the ruling white colonialist over the black natives. Studies these complex relationships until the time of the release of Nelson Mandela.
From the Paper "Colonization is defined by Webster's Dictionary as an act or instance of colonizing. To South Africa and the South African people colonization has a much deeper and much more complex meaning. Colonization began in South Africa with the entrance of the Dutch in1652 and again with the British in 1806. The colonization by the Dutch was brought on by the need for a supply port to help ships sailing around the southern tip of the African continent. The Dutch's philosophy regarding the indigenous African people was one of separation and isolation. The Dutch urged their colonist to stay away from the native people and try to have little or no contact or interaction with them. One of the first conflicts between African and Dutch interest occurred between the Dutch and the KhoiKhoi. This conflict began when the indigenous KhoiKhoi realized that the Dutch settlers were in South Africa to stay. The KhoiKhoi believed that the Dutch intended to continue encroaching on the farmlands of their people. This tension between the Dutch and Africans broke out into a war, which last four years. The KhoiKhoi resistance was stopped by the Dutch due to the superior tactics and superior weapons used by the Dutch army. This conflict was one of many in which the native Africans attempted to take back their homelands, but fell short of their goals. In 1806 the British seized control of the South African colony in order to utilize its location and natural resources. "
This paper looks at the results of the Southeastern Indians and the Powhatan of Virginia in the geopolitical and economic systems as those groups encountered the European colonialists in the eighteenth century.
Abstract The paper explains the difficulties faced by the Southeastern Indians and the Powhatan of Virginia as they attempted to integrate with the European colonists. The writer discusses how the failure of the Indians to emerge victorious in the struggle for integration was also to the decentralization of their cultures, as opposed to the highly organized and united cultures of the Europeans. The paper brings historical examples to back up this claim.
From the Paper "Despite European hegemony, "Powhatan culture remained more or less intact until well into the eighteenth century," because the Indians "were tenacious of their ancient way of life" (Rountree 144). Even when they lost much of their land, they were still able to maintain their culture (Rountree 144). However, that very tenacity and way of life were the main reasons they were ultimately overwhelmed by the Europeans. Only by becoming brutal and organized like the Europeans could they have longer sustained their culture, but in doing so they would have earlier lost the roots of that culture."
Tags: colonialism, trade, culture, hegemony, European
An examination of the respective world views of Muslims in the Middle East and both Muslims and non-Muslim Africans in sub-Saharan Africa (mainly Sudan).
Abstract This paper looks at the respective world views of Muslims in different parts of the Arab world, focusing on religion, art and politics. It discusses how except in Israel, Islamic culture dominates the Middle East experience and a good deal of Asian experience besides and it is programmatically antithetical to the West. It shows how the northern, Arab Sudanese are historically inclined toward nationalism, adapting colonialist governance and public works structures to its purposes and united by Islam. It outlines the basic ideas informing each culture's world view as well as how it compares to the European world with a view toward identifying the differences in the way the groups characterize the found universe and human experience within it.
From the Paper "The northern, Arab Sudanese have historically inclined toward nationalism, adapting colonialist governance and public works structures to its purposes and united by Islam. The south comprised a tribalist black population variously following animism, Christianity, and Islam and resisting both Arab nationalist and cultural identity and the public-service projects that went with it (Spodek 728). Meanwhile the country is horribly impoverished and illiterate; five percent of all land in the country is arable, but two-thirds of all workers are agricultural ("Republic"). Result: intermittent but persistent civil war warfare since independence from Britain in 1956."
Abstract Even by contemporary, twentieth and post-twentieth century standards, Tacitus? paper on Germania and Julius Agricola (written 98 A.D.) would stand the test of rigorous peer review. The paper shows that Tacitus, instead of adopting a colonialist's attitude to the vanquished (in the expansion of the Roman Empire), used scientific means to study the Germanic tribes. "The Story of Agricola" stands however, in complete contrast to the objectivity that accompanies his descriptions of the Germanic tribes and, essentially, Tacitus deifies Agricola. The paper points to ulterior motives: primarily, Agricola was Tacitus? father-in-law. The paper argues too, that although Tacitus? descriptions have not been contested by other historians"indeed, Tacitus" is the only comprehensive representation? they seem one-sided.
From the Paper "On the battlefield, he led from the front, demonstrating his courage and the respect he demanded from his soldiers. Against the Ordovices he "went to meet the peril" as Tacitus writes. Concerning logistical and situational awareness, Agricola was second-to-none. He had an eye for ground which was unparalleled by any other commander, and chose exquisite sites for situating camps. He was bold, yet perhaps over-cautious to needlessly risk Roman life as he demonstrated at the battle at Mt. Grapius. Yet Agricola was optimistic and resolute in the face of difficulties. Rarely has there been a more adequate Roman leader - this was demonstrated when Domitian recalled him from Britain due to his gaining too much popularity. Agricola was recalled to Rome in 87AD by a ruler, who according to Tacitus," was the foe of virtue". He died in Rome on the 23rd August 93AD aged 56."
