Colonialism

1. Colonialism Political, social, economic, cultural domination of a territory and its people by a foreign power for an extended period of time

2. 2 MAJOR PHASES OF EUROPEAN COLONIALISM PHASE 1: 1490s—1820s • Spain & Portugal colonized Central, South, and North America • Britain colonized North America, India, Australia (1788), parts of the Caribbean • Dutch colonized South Africa, Singapore • France colonized Canada, parts of the Caribbean • 1800s: Independence Movements began

3. Islamic Civilizations • Islam spread from Arabic region (Middle East) to: North Africa, Spain, and Asia • Early civilizations: Baghdad (Iraq), Cairo (Egypt), Cordoba (Spain), Palermo (Sicily) • Baghdad (750 – 1258) • Universities • Translated texts from Greek, Roman, Hindu, & Persian cultures into Arabic; synthetic philosophy • Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, astronomy, philosophy, art, architecture, medicine • Arabic = (700-1300, Middle Ages) world’s major intellectual & scientific language & influenced the West

4. Western Control of Middle East • 1095-1291 = Crusades, EU launched military expeditions to defeat Islamic dynasties & return Holy Land to Christian rule • EU wanted control of Eastern trade routes (spices, silk, cotton) • 1400’s = Portuguese establish ports from Arabia to SE Asia, controlled spice trade

5. TRANS-ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE: 1490’s—1800’s • Europeans captured West African slaves (c. 12 million total) (in exchange for guns, alcohol, tobacco, etc.) • Shipped slaves to the Americas and Caribbean Islands to work on plantations (sugar, cotton, tobacco, coffee) • Beginning of the Global Plantation Economy

6. Suez Canal: 1869 • Connected Mediterranean Sea w/Gulf of Suez in Egypt • 101 miles long • immediate and dramatic effect on world trade • combined w/ American Transcontinental railroad, allowed entire world to be circled in record time • British & French owned • increased EU penetration & colonization of Africa

7. 2 MAJOR PHASES OF EUROPEAN COLONIALISM PHASE 2: 1850s-1950s • Western Europe colonized Africa, the rest of Asia, and the Pacific Islands • 1914: Britain and French Empires were at their height; EU Empires controlled 85% of world! • 1950s: Independence Movements started to succeed

8. EU Colonized Islamic Nations in 1800’s • Egypt: British colony in 1882; sugar, cotton • Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco: French colonies; railroads, mining, agriculture • Iran: N. Iran was Russian colony, S. Iran was British; tobacco • SE Asia: Dutch in 1917; sugar, coffee, tobacco, indigo • Malaysia: British; tin, rubber, Chinese labor

9. Post-WWII Colonies • French: North Africa, Lebanon, Syria • British: Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, South Asia • Dutch: SE Asia • Colonial economies based on cash crops: tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco, cotton, opium • Independence/nationalist movements, new nation-states in 1960’s: Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Iraq, Tunisia, Syria, Jordan

10. RACE 1. CULTURAL CONSTRUCTION No biological basis, although there is often an assumed biological commonality such as shared genes or “blood” • Race categories change over time and vary from place to place 2. GENETIC EVIDENCE Proves that there are more differences within so-called “races” than between them

11. RACE (cont.) 3. PHENOTYPE (physical expression of genes) • Many societies define “race” by phenotype, such as: skin color, hair form, facial features, eye color • But…the lines of distinction are not clear • The MEANING of the phenotypic features is culturally constructed

12. Putting Cultural Ideas into Practice PREJUDICE Devaluing a group because of assumed behavior, values, capabilities, etc. DISCRIMINATION Policies and practices that harm a group and its members RACISM Discrimination against a group assumed to have biological commonality