User:Evarenon/sandbox/Approaches to Knowledge/Seminar Group 4/Imperialism
Imperialism
[edit | edit source]What is imperialism?
[edit | edit source]The term imperialism historically has referred to dynasties or kingdoms under the rule of an emperor, or in other words, any empire was characterized as an imperial power. This definition of the word has mainly been associated with the Chinese, Roman, and Greek empires. Now, however, imperialism alludes to the desire and practice of extending ones reach, which can take one of two forms: the first, physical acquisition of land, usually involves the use of violence and the second, through gaining economic and political power over others. This interpretation of the word came to prominence in 1870s Britain and has since carried with it negative undertones, stemming from both its morally dubious nature and from uncertainty about motivations behind imperialism.
Imperialism is a state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas. Because it always involves the use of power, whether military force or some subtler form, imperialism has often been considered morally reprehensible, and the term is frequently employed in international propaganda to denounce and discredit an opponent’s foreign policy.(Caroline and Muyao) --C lmy (discuss • contribs) 18:48, 28 October 2018 (UTC)
In the sense of modern economy imperialism is capitalism in that stage of development in which the dominance of monopolies and finance capital has established itself; in which the export of capital has acquired pronounced importance; in which the division of the world among the international trusts has begun; in which the division of all territories of the globe among the great capitalist powers has been completed (Lenin, 1916, 89). Lcosier1 (discuss • contribs) 21:22, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
Unpacking "imperialism"
[edit | edit source]IMPERIALISM | |
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Non-essential attributes |
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Definitions of imperialism and their historical context or disciplinary context
[edit | edit source]Possible research questions on imperialism
[edit | edit source]To what extent did imperialism manifest itself in scientific practice and output? Tmlweigel (discuss • contribs) 17:54, 28 October 2018 (UTC)
What is the relationship of inequality and imperialism?C lmy (discuss • contribs) 20:22, 28 October 2018 (UTC)
What does imperialist dominance look like nowadays? Lcosier1 (discuss • contribs) 21:13, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
What traces of imperialism are still present in modern society? Amberk23 (discuss • contribs) 11:03, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
How do we recognise imperialism in contemporary institutions, and how do we counter it? Leewenyi (discuss • contribs) 11:39, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
To what extent is our current knowledge based on systems of imperialism? Leewenyi (discuss • contribs) 12:14, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
To what extent is liberal imperialism legitimate? Teobogatu (discuss • contribs) 14:41, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
How does imperialist ideology establish itself through institutions? (eg museums) Olliedixon148 (discuss • contribs) 14:58, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
What is the role of military power in imperialism? Juliechea (discuss • contribs) 17:49, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
How does the Commonwealth reflect a continuity in British Imperialism? Sunnivaminsaas (discuss • contribs) 22:42, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
In what ways are constructed hierarchies dangerous? Sunnivaminsaas (discuss • contribs) 22:46, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
Research and discussion
[edit | edit source]What does imperialist domination look like today?
[edit | edit source](Lucas, Henri, and Apara)
The foundation for the imperial dominance system today was established centuries ago through the British Empire. Amongst its biggest contributions to the current world domination systems is the founding of the first world bank. In 1844 Britain established the first world currency, where one sterling pound was allocated a certain weight of gold. This meant that London became the centre of world trade and finance allowing the British ruling class to accumulate vast amounts of wealth. The accumulation of wealth is the basic philosophy of a capitalistic economy and is what drives the desire for imperialistic pursuits today and arguably even throughout history. During the British rule, and even more so now, everything in the world has been turned into a commodity. As a result, those with wealth control the world and those without are subordinate to the wealthy. This means that wealth and capital are the keys to attaining dominance today. The world currency is now a symbol of power. In the 1920’s post-war Britain was severely weakened and in serious debt to America, this allowed the US dollar to take over as the world currency, symbolizing and solidifying the transition of power. Thus, in our study we will look at two of the most important economic powers in the world, the imperialist US and China.
After World War II and the Bretton-Woods system, the USA has become the richest power and the centre of world's economics and finance. This allowed it to rule a part of the world and to become one big empire: the west block, and to influence many African and Asian countries. However, the post-Vietnam trauma, the oil crisis in 1973, and the fall of USD as the uncontested leader, due to the fall of Bretton-Woods, made the USA realise that imperialism needed and still needs more than ever a great military power to protect it and to gain more power. The nation which has nuclear weapons and is strong enough to attack every country on the globe stays the world's centre. In fact it can settle in countries which present important resources, like Iraq in 2003, and it can overpass international institutions' obstacles, like the United Nations.
However, another view of American "new imperialism" is that even though imperialism now uses economic, financial and political power more than military power to influence other countries, a declining empire uses more and more military power in an attempt to retain its status, and delay its inevitable fall (The Rise and Fall of The Great Powers, Paul Kennedy). Furthermore, states gave a part of their sovereignty to financial markets, and multinational corporations have become more and more powerful and independent from states. Thus, when speaking about economic power and economic imperialism, we should admit that one point of view is that countries are a political and military tool for economic powers - like corporations - to gain or to protect their influences throughout the world.
The decline of US imperialism is inevitable. Exporting inflation - flooding the world with US dollars to keep the US economy afloat, while the rest of the world pays the price - is just the latest example. The Americans under the Trump administration are currently trying to consolidate the dollar and their position in the international markets to maintain their influence, because there's another emerging superpower threatening to overturn them - China. The Chinese didn't have a smooth road to begin with, and that was partly because of their rivals (the Russians and Americans). Following the Chinese revolution of 1949, the US-imposed blockades cut off China from the worldwide capitalist system. As a result, China had to build its own industry from scratch. However, this played out in their favor. Since it joined the WTO at the end of 2001, China has had the most important role of a developing country in the internationalization of production, occupying all sectors of labor-intensive production in the last two decades. With an average GDP growth of 10% during the 1990s and the 2000s, and by providing a seemingly inexhaustible labor supply, a vast space to invest in global capital, and a market with high liquidity, the active cooperation of China with other developing countries has significantly alleviated the crisis of capitalist production and accumulation.
However, China’s quest to become the first economic power has had serious consequences for the Chinese people, its resources and environment, and it has also divided the Chinese society and negated China's long-term sustainable development. The insatiable need for capital has led to over-production, over-fishing in the rivers and seas, destruction of land, and spillage of waste into ground, air, and water, causing irreversible damage to the planet. Moreover, the majority of the Chinese people lack educational opportunity, a safe social environment, and proper healthcare. Imperialism immensely benefited monopoly capital but is devastating the majority of the world’s population, deteriorating its resources and destroying its natural environment.
What is the relationship of inequality and imperialism? (Muyao and Caroline)
[edit | edit source]James Caporaso has defined imperialism as "a state of inequality and dependence in interstate relations where both the inequality and dependence are maintained by exploitation"1. Although there is little doubt about the claim that inequality is a non-essential attribute of imperialism, its relationship with the general concept of imperialism needs furthermore discoveries and explanations. To begin with, inequality is the cause of imperialism. This argument has a solid foundation in economy domain. To be specific, the economic inequality leads to the inevitable imbalanced power contrast between different nations, the idea of foreign assets transfer as well as the competition of military capacity. Because imperialism is a dominance relation between two collectivities (most of the time between nations), the two collectivities involved in this relation cannot be equal, the dominated collectivity is always more unequal than the dominating one.
Secondly, on the one hand, inequality, with imperial power and incapacities, affects societies in distorting their economic-social-cultural-political development, and with the growing polarization, the inequality helps to strengthen imperialism; on the other hand, however, if the inequality continues to expand, it can threaten the imperialism system. In this sense, inequality can be seen as an essential attribute of imperialism because it has the power to strengthen it or weaken it.
Thirdly, from a different angle, imperialism can nourish the idea of inequality or even exacerbate it. In the imperialist system, different ideologies of inequalities are quite popular like: the racism, Xenophobia, etc. One of the major example of this kind of inequality is the apartheid which was a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race (Oxford Dictionary) that took place in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s.
1Caporaso, J. "Methodological issues in the measurement of inequality, dependence, and exploitation." In S. J. Rosen & J. R. Kurth (eds.) Testing theories of economicimperialism, Toronto: Heath, 1974, pp. 87-114.
To what extent is our current knowledge based on imperialism? ( Wen and Julie)
[edit | edit source]Different societies each have a framework of knowledge that is often in line with their core values and civilisation. However, systems of imperialism have an influence on the plethora of types of knowledge, all around the world. Our current knowledge, that shapes the way we see the world, through lenses of economy, human sciences, math, philosophy and other disciplines, is influenced, or based, on systems of imperialism to an extent. ~~~~
Imperialism has had pervasive impacts on academia; in its historical origin, colonial powers typically implemented their own systems of education within the colonies, and that imperial relation was responsible for the "tutelage, conformity, secondary role of dominated intellectuals and scholars, rationalisation of the civilising mission, and the inferior talent of scholars from the home country specialising in studies of the colony" (Atalas, 2003).
Over the course of the post-colonial period, academic imperialism has evolved into a scholarly landscape in which information is largely monopolised by a Western perspective, and non-Western scholars are highly dependent upon Western institutions and ideas despite political independence. Western institutions often possess the funding, technology and infrastructure required for research, and are usually the publishers of recognised journals; academic dependency, according to Atalas, extends to dependency on ideas, media of ideas, technology, financial aid and investment (for research and education), and a dependency on demand in the West for the skills of “third-world” social scientists (Atalas, 2003).
There is also a division of labour that perpetuates the cycle of dependency and psyche of intellectual inferiority, whereby non-Western scientists typically carry out empirical work or studies in their own countries, while Western scientists are responsible for more theoretical and international research. Insofar as our knowledge is founded on our education, it is thus necessary to consider the extent to which imperially-produced ideas permeate our way of thinking and how we perceive the world.
Imperialism has had a particularly dominant in the construction of perceptions about non-Western cultures and, where the colonising population is now the majority demographic, its indigenous peoples.
Even when research is conducted into non-Western social groups, there is a risk of a ‘silencing’ methodology, wherein the study is disengaged from Indigenous epistemologies and participants (Deckert, 2014). Furthermore these groups have a systemic inability to autonomically represent themselves in academia, given the aforementioned academic dependency.
Efforts to decolonise curriculums--from post-Apartheid South Africa (see Grange, 2016) to the Anglophone Carribean (see Johnson, 2002) to institutions in the former imperial power of the United Kingdom--recognise the effect that imperialism has had on the way information is structured and elided and made into general consensus. Leewenyi (discuss • contribs) 11:16, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
What traces of imperialism are still present in modern society? (Amber and Sunniva)
[edit | edit source]Imperialism can be defined as the expansion of power and control (traditionally, over a specific territory or people). The assertion of control over regions by European imperialists effected the development of culture, social values and hierarchies within colonies and still does despite the end of their imperialism. We looked to explore what traces of imperialism are still present in modern society, in both colonised and colonising countries. Researching this, we focussed our attention on three topics: how European colonialism has effected the development of colonies, how imperialism has influenced geopolitics and our view of the world, and how the idea of imperialism has been applied to disciplines within academia.
How traces of imperialist thinking are present in modern society is very evident when looking at previous colonies. Previous colonies have had their economy, politics and beliefs fundamentally shaped by colonial powers. One example of this is the case of Haiti and The Dominican Republic. These two nations share the island Hispaniola but their standard of living is vastly different. Haiti is a poor and struggling country, whilst The Dominican Republic is relatively stable and prosperous. The difference is mainly due to how the countries were treated differently by those that colonised them. Haiti was colonised by the French who exploited land and people, whilst Spain who colonised the dominicans intermarried with the population.The traces of imperialism today can be seen by Haiti’s struggle to develop and the Dominicans believing themselves to be racially superior to Haitians as they believe their heritage to be more european. Blackness is by many Dominicans "widely viewed as a negative attribute”[1]. These notions reflect the idea that people can be divided into different categories based on e.g. racial characteristics and then ranked accordingly. This creation of a racial hierarchy has strong roots in Imperialism and the belief that some are more superior. Thus, in the case of Haiti and the Dominican Republic Imperialism has not only left traces but complex problems that remain unsolved. Sunnivaminsaas (discuss • contribs) 21:51, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
Geopolitics looks at how political relationships are influenced by geographical factors. Key to geopolitics is the concept of the geopolitical imagination, which is the way in which countries perceive their own and others’ place in the world, influencing how we interact with people and places on a global scale. Agnew explains that the foundations of the geopolitical imagination lie in European imperialism of the early 16th century with exploration in the Americas and Asia through the construction of maps from a Eurocentric perspective. Europeans viewed themselves as the centre of ‘civilisation’ and the world order leading them to order civilisations they came into contact with in a hierarchy of social and geopolitical significance. This hierarchy of civilisations is still present in modern society; evident in the division between the developed and the developing, the west and the east. The geopolitical imagination is still very much centred around European/Western values and perspectives of the world - demonstrating how there are still traces of imperialism in modern society. Amberk23 (discuss • contribs) 22:10, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
Imperialism is also still present in modern society in the form of academic imperialism - the domination of one discipline over another in a competition for superiority. This looks at imperialism as a concept in a slightly different way to the previous two examples, focussing more on ideological rather than territorial expansion. In his article, Stillman explores the issues that academic imperialism creates in interdisciplinary research, as academics dedicated to one discipline are less open to others’ theories as they challenge their way of looking at the world (which they believe to be correct). However, Lazear takes a slightly different approach to academic imperialism, looking specifically at economic imperialism. He suggests that, ineconomics, the expansion of the discipline to explain things in other areas of social sciences has encouraged interdisciplinary study within economics (viewing imperialism as a positive attribute of the subject). The imperialism of economics as a discipline shows how the ideology is still present in modern society in more ways than one - in the lasting impacts of colonial imperialism of the past and in the study of academic disciplines. Amberk23 (discuss • contribs) 22:10, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
The examples of geopolitical imagination, colonialism in Haiti and The Dominican Republic, and academic disciplines highlight how traces of imperialism is still present in modern society. These examples illustrate how the categorisation of aspects such as people, disciplines and geopolitical imagination are organised in hierarchies in which one thing is considered superior to another. These constructed hierarchies influence how we interact with other people and the world around us. Thus, traces of imperialism are evident in most aspects of life. Sunnivaminsaas (discuss • contribs) 22:13, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
How does imperialist ideology establish itself through museums?
[edit | edit source]Imperialism has traditionally created a subconscious division in people's minds between different cultures, based on race, religion or gender (Willinsky, 1998 p. 27). It is this division that maintains the strength of imperialist ideologies within a society, museums being one such tool to help further impose these divisions on people. As James Clifford claims, the rise of museums in the nineteenth-century 'was part of a general attempt to purvey and organise "culture" from the top down' (1997 p.214). For example, The Great Exhibition, a Victorian international exhibition of culture and industry was used to display the technological, political, and intellectual project of Western imperialist powers and, in doing so ' insisted on the perfectibility of all peoples (under European guidance)' (Buchli, 2002 p.6). The culture chosen to display to the world, was one of progress and innovation, as opposed to any parts of British culture which might tarnish Britain's reputation. This shows how institutions were utilised to assert the superiority of the Western, European or even 'white' culture, over other cultures which imperialists desired control over. The superiority of Western culture that was displayed, is one way in which divisions were created in people's minds between the superior intellect of West versus East, or civilised peoples versus savages. This suggests museums were a key tool in creating an acceptance of imperialism within society, by contributing to the divisions in peoples' minds that allowed this. Olliedixon148 (discuss • contribs) 16:31, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
The height of imperialism was inextricably linked to the Age of Enlightenment, the dominant philosophical and intellectual movement of 18th century Europe (Foley, 2000). During this period, systems of measurement and classification based on 'scientific' principles became increasingly important in human understanding of the world. This led to the formation of categories delineating differences between groups of people. At the same time, increasing contact with colonized populations impacted the establishment of categories of race, which became a primary classifier of difference.
Institutions such as museums developed in parallel with European imperialist expansion. As empires acquired new territories, they took away objects from those territories and placed them in museums. Such collections of objects were perceived as exotic, and they exemplified places or populations unknown to Europeans (Foley, 2000). Museums were historically used by imperialist regimes as a means of propaganda that aimed to classify society into certain divisions that would fit with the beliefs and customs of the regime. Thus they had the effect of dividing the world into hierarchical categories based on racial and cultural backgrounds. Teobogatu (discuss • contribs) 16:18, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
An example of imperialism in modern museums is the Macau Museum of Art whose exhibitions undergo political appropriation that fit the messages supported by the The Communist Party of China (CPC), thus supporting the argument that imperialism is present in museums under the form of government dominance. The museum’s exhibitions and collections that focus on traditional Chinese pieces clearly aim to establish a Chinese cultural identity in regards to Macau and thus put forward nationalistic beliefs. In the past the museum exhibited pieces regarding the presence of Portuguese colonialism in Macau, which is currently excluded from the museum’s exhibition timeline in order to overlook its existence, thus proving the political appropriation present in Chinese museums. Teobogatu (discuss • contribs) 16:52, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
In addition to producing a hierarchy of art and objects through classification and curation, the strategic manipulation of a museum's architecture played an important role in maintaining imperialist ideologies. Svasek cites the construction of vast, imposing exhibition spaces in 1870s Britain as salient in reinforcing a successful, economically as well as militarily efficient, vision of the Empire. Within this space the displayed casts of ancient Indian monuments referenced their own production and transportation, which in turn demonstrated a 'powerful British superiority'. (Svasek, 2007) Tmlweigel (discuss • contribs) 17:29, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
- ↑ Ferguson, J (2003) Dominican and Haitian identity. Migration in the Caribbean: Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Beyond. Located 30/10/2018 on the web: https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MRG_Rep_Caribbean.pdf
Our readings
[edit | edit source]Reference and link (authors, year, embedded link) | Main argument | Which attribute or which research question does this paper relate to? |
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Cultural Imperialism and Exact Sciences Revisited (Pyenson, 1993) | The author compares the work of French, German and Dutch scientists, examining the relationship between imperialism and their respective scientific practices. Though these scientists accommodated general imperialist policies and in some cases used their possession of scientific knowledge to assert political power, the author argues that research was still driven by the intent to maintain a high qualitative standard rather than by the promise of benefits gained at the service of a higher imperialist objective. | Intellectual dominance/ To what extent did imperialism manifest itself in scientific practice and output? |
Inequality, Foreign Investment, and Imperialism (Hauner, Milanovic and Naidu, 2017) | Based on the experience of the Great World War, the author argues that the inequality in economy domain influenced the foreign assets, which in turn exerted an impact on the power relation, military contrast, geology strategies of different nations. Thus, the economic inequality if the cause of imperialism in the example of the first world war. | Inequality/ what is the relationship of inequality and imperialism? |
Inequality And Imperialism (Farooque Chowdhury, 2014) | Inequality, with imperial power and incapacities, affects societies in far flung areas distorting their economic-social-cultural-political development. Moreover, inequality with its political manifestations and ramifications threaten the imperialism system. in the meantime, the system nourishes inequality | Inequality/ what is the relationship of inequality and imperialism? |
The Making of Modern Liberalism; Ch 5: Liberal Imperialism (Alan Ryan, 2012) | The author argues that liberalism is by definition imperialistic and thus discusses wether liberal imperialism is a viable form of governance. Liberal imperialism is the doctrine by which liberal states may rightfully and forcefully impose liberal political institutions and societal norms upon non-liberal states. The article concludes that although in some cases liberal states may have legitimate reasons to impose a liberal government upon other states, it would be more beneficial not to do so. This is due to the complications that arise from trying to successfully implement such a system which will in most cases cause it to fail as proved by historical examples. Hence the author reaches the conclusion that the possible negative consequences that may be created by such an intervention would be more impactful and irreversible than the damage caused by the current ruling system. | Political/Ideological
To what extent is liberal imperialism legitimate? |
Pao-yu Ching. (2017). 'The Current Phase of Imperialism and China', in IPE Lenin's Imperialism in the 21st Century. po. 59-72. | The author first shares some insight on the current state of imperialism, by explaining the hegemonic status of the US dollar and how the US domination in global finance came to be, due to the post-war monetary and trade regimes established. The author then shifts his focus to China, and explains what its' role is in this phase of imperialism, and why it deserves a special mention, being both a developing and a developed country. | political/economic dominance
What does imperialist dominance look like nowadays? |
Fred Engst. (2017). 'Imperialism, Ultra-imperialism and the Rise of China', in IPE Lenin's Imperialism in the 21st Century. po. 73-104.Lcosier1 (discuss • contribs) 20:53, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | The paper's goal is to give out some basic facts about today's capitalist world, and to give some insight on the conflicts growing between the rising of China and today's US capitalist system. It also studies the contradictions of the old imperialism, and creates the needed framework to study such contradictions and facts. | political/economic dominance
What does imperialist dominance look like nowadays? |
Imperialism Today (Roger van Zwanenberg, 2004) | The main argument of this paper is that today the dominance system is based on the ownership of monetary capital. It suggests that everything in the modern world, religion, nature, food, water, illness, intellectual property, have all been turned into commodities and so possession of capital determines who the dominant power is. It concludes by saying, this production-consumption system is the most exploitative system to have ever existed and that the reach of the dominant power is now limitless. | Political/economical dominance
What does imperialist dominance look like today? |
https://search.proquest.com/docview/213211704?rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo | The aim of this paper is to explain that military forces allow a country to rule the world. Its possibility to strike everywhere and its nuclear power makes the US the greatest power. This is called imperialism, as they can influence, military or not, every country they want, for example in middle east. This to protect their economic interests, which permit them to stay the first financial-economic power, around the world. Imperialism is indeed the political-economic final step of capitalism. As its economic power has declined the US needs military power to maintain it by force.
The author calls it “new imperialism” as America acknowledges it whereas it used to try hiding it behind pretexts. |
political/economic dominance
What does imperialist dominance look like nowadays? |
Academic Imperialism and its Resolution: the case of economics and anthropology (Calvin W. Stillman,1955) Amberk23 (discuss • contribs) 11:21, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | Stillman argues that academic imperialism (the domination of one discipline over another) is an issue preventing academics in different disciplines within the social sciences (and beyond) from working interdisciplinarily together. He attributes this difficulty to the personal connection academics make to their discipline - the theories they study and develop make up their perception of the world and how they understand it - causing them to feel threatened by theories of other disciplines that may challenge their “interpretation of reality”. To the academic, “it is less a cognitive theory, and more an understanding of truth.” | Dominance
What traces of imperialism are still present in modern society? |
Geopolitics: re-visioning world politics, Visualising Global Space (Chapter 2), J. Agnew (2003) Amberk23 (discuss • contribs) 14:49, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | Agnew argues that the geopolitical imagination (the way in which we perceive our place as a country in the world) originated from the imperialistic ambitions of Europeans in the early 16th century with exploration in the Americas and Asia. Europeans viewed themselves as the centre of ‘civilisation’ and the world order, ordering spaces/areas of the world in a hierarchy of social and geopolitical significance. The basis of modern geopolitics is founded on the “pervasive ethnocentrism” of Europe and influences the way in which geopolitics is conducted today - heavily influenced by Western ideals and values. This shows how the long-existing imperialism of Europe is still shaping the way countries view themselves in the order of the world, despite the absence of traditional imperialism in modern society. | Politics
What traces of imperialism are still present in modern society? |
Dominican and Haitian identity by Ferguson (2003) p. 19-22 Sunnivaminsaas (discuss • contribs) 22:09, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | The report explores how Dominican and Haitian identity differs and why this has lead to conflict between the nations. Dominicans believe themselves racially superior to Haitians due to their european heritage, and subsequently discriminate against them. These notions can be tracked back to colonial times. | What traces of imperialism are still present in modern society? |
The Commonwealth, ‘development’ and post-colonial responsibility by Power, M (2009) Sunnivaminsaas (discuss • contribs) 22:30, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | This paper focuses on how Britain has through the Commonwealth attempted to create development in Africa through partnership and neoliberal policies. Power also highlights how Britain is trying to re establish authority in developing countries by acting as a sort of parent which disciplines its children. | What traces of imperialism are still present in modern society? |
Social Darwinism, Scientific Racism, and the Metaphysics of Race by Dennis, M (1995) Sunnivaminsaas (discuss • contribs) 08:41, 31 October 2018 (UTC) | Dennis explores how notions of racial hierarchy was given scientific legitimacy, and thus how racist social policy were justified through science. The paper also examines how social darwinism altered views towards race and human qualities. | Hierarchy.
Scientific racism |
Quai Branly in Process Olliedixon148 (discuss • contribs) 15:35, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | Clifford explores the Quai Branly in Paris showing how the museum creates an exoticised experience of indigenous cultures. He claims the 'dominance of the architecture is extreme', encouraging visitors to view the collection in a theatrical context. The institutionalisation of the exoticisation of indigenous cultures, in Quai Branly, echoes ways in which imperialist regimes wish to define different cultures as an 'other', 'savage' or 'exotic' in order to assert cultural dominance. Therefore, Clifford's view of the museum may suggest imperialist ideologies still pervade in modern day institutions. | Imperialism establishing itself through institutions |
Museums: Space, Materiality and the Politics of Display - Anthropology, Art and Material Production Tmlweigel (discuss • contribs) 15:48, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | Imperialism establishing itself through institutions | |
Art, Ideology and Power: Political Appropriations of Art Museums in Asian post-colonial contexts Teobogatu (discuss • contribs) 15:57, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | Museums were historically used by imperialist regimes as a means of propaganda that aimed to classify society into certain customs and divisions that would fit with the beliefs and customs of the regime. An example of this is the Macau Museum of Art whose exhibitions undergo political appropriation that fit the messages supported by the The Communist Party of China (CPC). | Imperialism establishing itself through institutions Olliedixon148 (discuss • contribs) 16:22, 30 October 2018 (UTC) |
Learning to Divide the World: Education at Empire's End, John Willinsky Olliedixon148 (discuss • contribs) 16:23, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | In the section of this book relevant to our question, Willinsky claims the educational legacy of imperialism indoctrinated us into 'unconsciously dividing the world'. This division, creates distance between people based on race, East and West, civilised and savage. This distinction, achieved via institutions, helps to maintain the imperialist ideology that the conquerors are required, in order to 'civilise' the conquered, sustaining belief in the imperialist vision from the public. | Imperialism establishing itself through institutions |
Museums as Contact Zones Olliedixon148 (discuss • contribs) 18:41, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | Imperialism establishing itself through institutions | |
The enlightenment, imperialism, and the evolution of museums (Foley, 2000) | This article examines how ideologies of the Enlightenment period impacted the historical evolution of museums. The development of institutions such as museums occurred at the same time as the processes of colonization and imperial expansion, closely linked to Enlightenment thought. As a result, notions of difference, classification and race that were prominent during this era became embedded in these institutions. The colonial era prompted the categorization of those who did not conform to European parameters of identity as different and necessarily inferior to those of European heritage. | Imperialism establishing itself through institutions |
Global imperialism and global inequalityWilliam Eckhardt | After giving definitions and theories of imperialism, the author tried to find statistical relations between imperialism and inequality. He gave operations definitions of those and related these two definitions to each other by means of different kinds of analyses. At the end of the paper, he defined imperialism as “a set of international relations characterized by military and/or economic exploitation, required by capitalist expansion, and resulting in unjust inequalities between and within nations.” | Inequality
What is the relationship of inequality and imperialism? |
A Structural Theory of Imperialism, Johan Galtung | In this article, imperialism is defined as a dominance relation between collectivities, particularly between nations. It is a sophisticated type of dominance relation. Indeed, the center in the imperialist nation establishes a bridgehead in the center of the dominated nation by tying the two centers together by means of harmony of interest. In the stronger form of imperialism, the two collectivities are separated by having less inequality in the dominating than in the dominated nation. | Inequality
What is the relationship of inequality and imperialism? |
Wahab’al-Masseri, Abdul. “The Imperialist Epistemological Vision.” The Contemporary Arab Reader on Political Islam, edited by Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi,’ Pluto Press, London; New York, 2010, pp. 149–159. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183p55h.22.
Pages 2-6 |
Here the author argues that Imperialism is the transmission of epistemological and ethical ideas from the western world, in which they emerged, to the rest of the world. Imperialism allowed western nations to gain power over other populations and cultures by enforcing certain epistemological views. The author coins this theory as 'The Imperialistic Epistemological Vision' and it explains why colonising nations felt the need to impart specific aspects of knowledge and certain beliefs on to other populations around the world. Regulation of knowledge and education could be further used to enhance power and control within the colonised states. The body of the chapter discusses how and why colonising nations thought this was an acceptable dominance - by highlighting their materialistic view of humanity and nature and how they were able to reduce foreign cultures to what could be dominated and demolished. | Imperialism and intellectual dominance |
Economic Imperialism, Edward P. Lazear (2000) Amberk23 (discuss • contribs) 18:12, 30 October 2018 (UTC) | Lazear argues the case for economic imperialism as one of the successes of economics as a discipline. Economic imperialism has emerged in the last few decades and attempts to explain topics across the social sciences, outside of traditional economic topics, using economic theories and processes. Lazear emphasises the idea of maximisation - where economic imperialists have continued to expand the application of economics to as many areas of study as possible. This is suggested to have been possible due to the reputable scientific methods of economics, producing evidence-based theories that stand up to challenges from other disciplines. | Expansion
What traces of imperialism are still present in modern society? |
Academic Dependency and the Global Division of Labour in the Social Sciences (Atalas, 2003) Leewenyi (discuss • contribs) 00:53, 31 October 2018 (UTC) | Atalas highlights and explains the problem of non-Western countries, or LEDCs, academic dependency on the West in the specific field of the social sciences. Historically, academic imperialism orginated in the colonial establishment of schools and publishing houses within the colonies, but evolved into the West's monopoly over the flows of knowledge in academia. Although politically independent, non-Western countries are often dependent on Western ideas, financial aid, investment and demand for their scientists' skills. There is a self-perpetuating issue in the division of labour, wherein non-Western scholars tend to undertake the empirical as opposed to theoretical bulk of the research, and focus largely on studying their own country while Western researchers conduct studies internationally. | To what extent is our current knowledge based on systems of imperialism? |
Neo-Colonial Criminology: Quantifying Silence (Deckert, 2014) Leewenyi (discuss • contribs) 07:42, 31 October 2018 (UTC) | Indigenous peoples in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US experience incarceration at disproportionate rates. Deckert evaluates the post-colonial state of contemporary criminology, apropos to the marginalisation of indigenous peoples in research publications, postulating that the low publication rates in mainstream criminology inhibits public awareness of the issue and further contributes to the marginalisation of indigenous peoples and the preservation of a historically colonial power. Even when research is written on Indigenous issues, it faces a “silencing” problem, in which it disengages from Indigenous epistemologies and participants. | To what extent is our current knowledge based on systems of imperialism? |
Knowledge Imperialism and Intellectual Capital Formation: A Critical Analysis of Colonial Policies on Educational Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, Moses Adesola, 2014 Juliechea (discuss • contribs) 07:35, 31 October 2018 (UTC) | Knowledge and development in sub-Saharan Africa is strongly connected to its colonial history, thus making such knowledge one that has been developed within a particular framework that is imperialism. Colonial education systems in Africa did not seek to give the Africans the tools for achieving technological progress, and instead focused on implicitly reinforcing and supporting imperialism. Such education policies influences how behind Africa is in terms of technol | To what extent is our current knowledge based on systems of imperialism? |
The Imperialism of Categories: Situating Knowledge in a Globalizing World, Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, 2005 Juliechea (discuss • contribs) 07:35, 31 October 2018 (UTC) | To what extent is our current knowledge based on systems of imperialism? | |
Maclay, Kubary, Malinowski Architypes from the dream time of anthropology, George W.Stocking, Jr Juliechea (discuss • contribs) 07:35, 31 October 2018 (UTC) | nowiki>Knowledge in ethnography ( the research on a particular type of culture, by immersion into the civilization) is strongly influenced by systems of imperialism. It is facilitated, or restricted by " asymmetries of power" according to Maclay and Kubary. Moreover, in terms of knowledge, scientific knowledge gave European countries an edge against its colonized country. Different types of knowledge can be influenced by imperialism, but also influence the formation and growth of imperialism in particular contexts. Juliechea (discuss • contribs) 07:35, 31 October 2018 (UTC)</nowiki> | To what extent is our current knowledge based on systems of imperialism? |
The Imperial Present: Geography, Imperialism and its Continued Effects (Morrissey, 2013) Leewenyi (discuss • contribs) 08:22, 31 October 2018 (UTC) | Cognisant of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the exercise of Western power in the Middle East, Morrissey explores how imperialism lingers in present-day Geography in the persistence of functioning imperial knowledge. He discusses how modern geopolitics and ‘strategic violence’ draws upon widely accepted reductive cultural binaries and simplified dichotomous geographies (us/them), perpetuating and first initiated in a historical imperial register of Otherness. | To what extent is our current knowledge based on systems of imperialism? |