Chapter 2 - Understanding Colonialism

1. Chapter 2 - Understanding Colonialism

2. What is Colonialism? • What is Imperialism?

3. 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

4. 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’.

6. 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)

7. Principal Processes of Colonialism

8. Phases of Colonialism and Imperialism

9. Spanish and Portuguese Colonialism

10. Spanish and Portuguese Colonialism

11. Mercantile Colonialism – Plantation System and Forced Labor

12. Mercantile Colonialism – The Plantation System and Forced Labor

13. 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

14. Mercantile Colonialism – Intensified Trade Links • Non Europeans were regarded as cultural equals • No extensive colonial settlements in Asia/Africa • No dominant-subordinate relationship yet

15. 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