Effects of Africanization in This Side Jordan by Margret Laurence
Post-colonial Literary Theory came in to challenge and scrutinize the European theories which were the false perception that they had the universal culture despite the fact that their culture was not able to handle the complexities in the divergent cultures as depicted in the in the postcolonial writings. Therefore, there was the emergence of the indigenous culture developed specifically to accommodate the extremes of the two cultures, that is the traditional and the modern culture. European started the expansion of the political sovereignty. During this time, the political strategies of the European were aimed at eroding the culture of the communities they expressed their
…show more content…
The imperialists suppressed the culture of the countries they colonized through the use of conquest, enslavement and finally the alienation of language to make their language superior to the language of the original inhibitors of the land they conquered. Different writers, Margaret Laurence in her book "The side Jordan" to be accurate have come up with the efforts of transforming the language to the extent that it could capture the socio-cultural aspects of the geographical locations of the nation 's Ghana and British. Among the futures that the users employ are the capability to examine and subvert the formation of the culture of the imperialists. Therefore, her use of English literature responded to this quest by making an attempt to develop the usage of the language that handled the sense of otherness.
In Canada, Margret Laura makes the effort of reconstructing the lost identity of the cultural groups that add up in making of the society in Canada through the use of her literary work. Some of the key issues that the novel handles in the quest to of reconstructing the lost identity include the strive towards the social recognition, the rebel against the brutality inflicted on the communities by the colonial masters and the experience the communities encountered in the amongst the ethnic groups. In this connection, therefore, Laurence crafted her work in the manner that it focusses on the identity whereby, the people
Language can be a powerful tool which can build individuals up but it can also tear them down. When reading Literature through a post-colonial lens it can give us the needed tools to provide or grasp the information in order to reveal the bigger picture in the story. “Post-colonialism examines the manner in which emerging societies grapple with the challenges of self- determination.” (Aladren, 2013) In one way we can see that approach of colonist being conveyed through the native tongue which tends to be taught to its subjects. Such examples can be seen in Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Act1 & 2) and the The Epic of Gilgamesh which illustrates how a “savage” can be domesticated simply by learning the imperialist language. As the subjects Caliban and Enkidu encounter these dominating issues due to the situation they face once they are introduce to oppressors culture.
By the 1800s, Europe had gained considerable power- centrally governed nation-states had emerged and the Industrial Revolution had deeply enriched different country’s economies. Advances in science and technology, industry, transportation, and communication provided Western nations with many advantages. Encouraged by their new military and economic prestige, European countries embarked on a path of aggressive expansion that today’s historians call “New Imperialism (1800-1914).” Europeans brought much of the world under their influence and control, dominating various countries politically, economically, and culturally. Though the West reaped the benefits of foreign imperialism, native peoples felt its harmful effects. For example, in Document
The Western nations, around the 19th century, began the period of colonization and capturing different parts of the world and making them fall under their rule. The cultural exchange was quite dominant about this time and the exchange of the goods and services added to this exchange process. As Daniel Headrick argues that the 19th and 20th century revolved around the advancements and new inventions without which the period of Imperialism might not have been such a significant part of history.
Colonization can be dated back to 1492 with the Spanish venture led by Columbus. Colonialism is defined as “The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically” (Oxford Dictionary).This expedition spread European influence worldwide, in places such as China, Lebanon, India, and Antigua. European influence is still prevalent today through the crossing of racial lines and shifting of cultures towards a more ‘civilized’ way of living. Colonialism is still prevalent today, in the form of postcolonialism. Postcolonialism can be defined as America’s benefaction to nations worldwide that include dynamic influences in things such as: government, culture, education and economy. One of the concepts erected from colonialism is globalization. Since globalization is a direct effect of colonialism, it is no surprise that globalization influences the same categories as postcolonialism (government, culture, education and economy), making the two concepts almost synonymous— with minimal differences. Globalization is defined as the integration of economics and communications of nations through increased contact by technology. Globalization dominates the economic and social side of the field while postcolonialism dwells in the cultural and educational aspects. This European ‘gift’ has contributed to global conflicts,
European colonization of the New World began during the European age of exploration and following the discovery of resources in the New World. The various motives of the Spanish, British, and French imperialists were reflected in the political, economic, and social changes that occurred in the areas each government claimed. These changes are very distinctive and led to drastic changes in their respective areas.
Classical Colonialism occurs when metropolitan nations fuse new territories or peoples through means which are virtually involuntary such as war, conquest, capture, and additional forms of enforcement and control. (Biauner 1987,150) Classical colonialism is distinguished by economic exploitation, forced entry, and cultural imperialism through the establishment of new institutions and methods of thought. (
African’s are forced to be slaves, deprived of their own resources in their own country, just imagine if you took a walk in their shoes for a day. King Leopold II enslaved African people in their own country. Africans were treated inhumanely by King Leopold II and other colonizing rulers. Europe and American countries took Africa’s resources away for their own profit. Africa’s interactions with colonialism have negatively impacted African cultures.
Have you ever wondered why or how the European imperialist changed the Middle East and Africa? Have you ever wondered why the European imperialist would want to change the countries in the Middle East and Africa. This essay will provide the reader with many reasons why the European imperialist changed the Middle East and Africa.
Driven by their ambition of increasing commercial profit, protecting their interests in the region from other European competitors, and expanding economic influence in Asia, the Europeans played an irreplaceable role in the transformation of Asian countries in the era of 1700 to 1900. The Europeans transformed Asian empires that enforced “closed country” policy, which threatened the European commercial interests in Asia in the 19th century, to polities that were forced to open up ports to trade. The increasing commercial interactions between the Europeans and the Asians also triggered the transformation of the political and social structures of Asian countries, ending feudal dictatorships and influencing new polities to adopt western legal framework. Furthermore, European religion and other western cultural features were also introduced and later integrated into the eastern cultures. In the meantime, European empires expanded their commercial activities from coastal cities to the interior Asian lands, increasing their presence and domination from the 16th century colonial era to the period of imperialism in the 19th and 20th century. The extensive interaction in the era integrated the two sides of the world, fostering the communication and mutual development that shaped the world order in the 20th century.
Chapter 1: Jordan (a 12 year old boy), Tachelle (Jordan’s younger sister), and their Mom are moving to a white, upper class area. If he moves he will get himself in trouble from Cobra gang leader, King. Jordan joined the Cobras, so he could pay for airfare to live with his father, since his mother won’t give the money to him. Jordan’s parents are divorced because of Mom and Daddy’s arguments about Daddy’s easy money schemes. Being in the Cobras gives Jordan the respect he deserves, which he doesn’t get from his mother. Every Cobra member must be strapped, so the Jordan is going to buy a gun because King had directed him too and by doing whatever King wants him to do will earn him the money he needs sooner.
The 17th century, known as the colonial era, reformed the United States and brought about many changes within the Native American culture. The whites who overtook the native colonies thought that they transformed culture, when in reality they did not. Property was taken from the natives, so “the term New World” does not fit (Rury 27). Several cultural traditions and religious values were adapted after life in the Americas, and became the predominant culture among the people. Anyone that resisted the new lifestyle and concepts were left behind in the process of the growing and progressing civilization.
Since it became a necessity in the 19th and 20th century to rule over other nations for economic and political prosperity, the Europeans did the same for the sake of the mother country, which greatly influenced the respective aspects. The European or the new Imperialism is a movement, which brought the worldwide effect of white supremacy. As far as the ideas of historians are concerned, new Imperialism was the product of economic rationale. It is obvious that every nation looks forward to uplift their economic status. Although the new Imperialism was a product of economic rational, it was largely justified for social and political reasons such as “civilizing missions” to help these countries out. While social effects helped to cause the new Imperialism, it was the economic advantages that forced the major plays of Europe into the grand scheme of the new Imperialism.
Through research, you can learn that postcolonial discourse is an “academic discipline that analyzes the cultural legacies of colonialism and of imperialism.” It is made up of theories found amongst “history anthropology, philosophy, linguistics, film, political science, architecture, human geography, sociology, Marxist theory, feminism, religious and theological studies, and literature.” An understanding of postcolonial discourse could be what colonized societies handed down to succeeding generations after them that has become significant to their culture.
Imperialism is the extension of a country’s power and influence through means such as colonization or military force. During both the Colonial Era and the Age of Imperialism, European nations acted on imperialist policies and established colonies. The motives that shaped European colonization in the two periods were economically and politically similar, however the 19th century motives for imperialism put more of an emphasis on religion and ethnocentrisms while Colonial Era imperialism was more affected by exploratory motives. The political and economic motivations for colonization and imperialism during the two eras were in nature.
Imperialism is defined as a strong economic and political empire takes over a weaker economic and political empire. Stronger empires conquered weaker empires to industrialize the land and to weaken other threating empires. To build a strong empire, a nation must use their military power to conquer a weaker nation, take the supplies and goods to support the mother nation, and use the supplies and goods to benefit your own empire by conquering even more empires. Imperialism did not begin in the twentieth century, imperialism has been around as early as the sixteenth century. The Imperialism in early sixteenth century is referred to as the “Age of Old Imperialism”. The Imperialism that is going to be referred to in this paper is going to be known as the “Age of New Imperialism”. This new trend of Imperialism leads us into the question of why did the Europeans want to be Imperialistic? Europeans wanted to be Imperialistic because of economic and industrialization interest, political and military interest and for cultural interest. The European nations were reaching their peak in power, while China and India were reaching their low points in power. These new causes of Imperialism is what divided the weaker empires from the stronger empires in the early 20th century.