Impact of Colonial Ideology - Term Paper Example

It is critical to first define colonization and what exactly it refers to, before delving into the affects it has had on human relations. According to Mohanty (1988), colonization can be defined as “a linkage of dominative structure and a political or discursive suppression, regarding the heterogeneity of the subject or subjects that are under consideration” (p. 61) In layman terms, it refers to the economic and political control of a nation over another area and its occurrence is mostly associated with imperialism, the desire to gain economic and military power over another area, maintaining a relationship based on the subordination of the indigenous population. Colonization is a phenomenon with widespread effects, impacting human relations in multiple ways and through various forms. We can now proceed to discuss the ways in which the colonial discourse has formed and shaped human relations. Impact of colonial ideology/discourse on human relations 1) Orientalism Orientalism, a term coined by Said (1978) is used to describe a series of false assumptions underlying Western attitudes towards the East. As Said says that it is a “Western way for domination, restructuring, and developing authoritativeness about the Orient” (p. 3) It is based upon the differentiation made between people from the Orient and the Occident (mainly France, Britain and America). Thus, one of the major impacts of colonization has been the creation of this divide between the people from the ‘West’ and those from the ‘East’, with the latter portrayed as alien, backward and in need of Western help and guidance. Little (2002) discusses how colonialism leads to orientalism which in turn was used by countries such as the US to justify its imperial ambitions. For example, as Little (2002) mentions, the result of orientalism was that it lead to: “diplomats, oil men and soldiers who promoted and protected US interests in the Middle East during the twentieth century converted these earlier assumptions and racial stereotypes into an irresistible intellectual shorthand of handling the “backward” Muslims and the “headstrong” Jews whose objectives frequently clashed with America’s.” (p. 9) 2) Creation of ethnic rivalries Another major influence that the process of colonization had on human relations was that it created situations that lead to ethnic differences, rivalries and disputes amongst the colonized population. For example, when the Soviet Union colonized the Ferghana Valley, they divided the population into different groups and ethnicities, creating divide among people who had previously lived together as one. Slim (2009 ) explains how such a tactic lead to a situation where artificial differences were created, where the Soviets were consulted and seen as the arbitrary, problem solving force. Hence, the conflict that was created between the groups worked to the advantage of the colonizers, making it easier for them to rule the colonized people. Another tactic used by colonizers was to give preferential treatment of one group over another during the period of colonization. Once the country was decolonized, the group that had been discriminated against retaliated, leading to disputes and conflicts, culminating in violence and in some cases genocide. An example of such a case is Rwanda. The Hutus and Tutsis shared the same language, the same traditions and lived in the same area. However, as observed by Chretien (2003), a French academic, once Belgium colonized Rwanda it classified the Hutus and Tutsis into two different ethnicities, favoring the Tutsis and giving them access to more power and better educational opportunities. Once Rwanda gained independence, the Hutus retaliated against the Tutsis, resulting in the 1994 genocide of approximately 800,000 Rwandans. Thus, many of the ethnic rivalries and disputes that we see in today’s decolonized states can actually be moved back to the cure of the masses from the colonizing forces, which created situations that would have severe repercussions in the years ahead in terms of interactions amongst the colonized peoples. 3) Lack of governmental institutions A relationship of domination was established over the colonized population, which was believed to be incapable of self governance. Thus Little (2002) quotes Roosevelt as confessing in 1907 how “it is impossible to expect moral, intellectual and material well being where Mohammedanism is supreme.” (p. 15) Thus, in a majority of colonized states, the rule was centralized and mostly operated from abroad. The problem with this was that once the state gained independence, it did not have the structure, the technical expertise or skill of people capable of running a democratic state. Thus we see that in today’s world there are many decolonized states that are independent, yet, because of the weak structure of its governmental institutions and because of the years of controlled system of control, the country is unable to adapt to a system of democracy; such countries are marked by oft occurring political turmoil, coups and repressive rules. 4) Impact of colonization on the colonized people’s perception of self An important aspect that needs to be explored here is how the act of colonization impacts the individuals who are subjected to such a rule and how this shapes the way they view themselves. When a country is colonized, it is not just a take over of territory but the very consciousness of the people is transformed and affected. Gendzier (1976) explores how this takes place and how the colonized man is the victim of a dual consciousness; on the one hand he is influenced by his own culture but on the contrary, he is the topic of ideology and beliefs brought to him by the colonial power; this ideology of the colonizers is spread in society through various institutions such as education, media and politics, all in an effort to establish it as the dominant ideology. Thus, the colonized is in the midst of two states – he both internalizes his inferiority by accepting the ideology of the oppressor and at the same time wants to hold on to the ideologies of his own culture. What results from this is a sort of schizophrenia whereby two different ideologies are influencing the mind of the colonized. Fanon (1963) explores this concept by looking at its influence on the national culture of the colonized. The aim of the colonizers, he says, is to make the oppressed individuals realize the inferiority of their culture. Although the entire population does not have a homogenous response to this, yet there is presence of the groups that are specifically the master-minds of the country, who try desperately to acquire the culture and behavior of the colonizers, seeing it as civilized and as a way towards progress. He further explains how the colonizer and the colonized are both locked into a relationship which neither of the two can escape the consequences of the colonizers impact on the colonized. Racism played in a huge role in the creation of such colonization, that is, the divide was made on the fact that one man is white while the other is not. This concept of the ‘Other’ reduces the colonized to the position of subhuman. In his discussion oh how colonialism does not just operate at the material level but also on a psychological level, Fanon (1967) discusses how not only the freedom of the individual is snatched but the individual is also denied the right to be a human. He explains that colonialism carries with it everywhere the belief of the superiority of white over non-white peoples; everything about these white people, including their language, culture, traditions and beliefs is established to be superior to that of the colonized people. It is this that creates inferiority in the colonized. To overcome this sense of inferiority, he (the colonized individual) starts to imitate his colonizer, assimilating in the culture in which he is being asked to take on. Fanon further discusses the negative effects of this; the adoption of foreign practices comes into conflict with his own cultures and beliefs and thus leads to alienation from his own way of life. All of this culminates in a rebellion against the oppressor; thus starts the struggle against colonialism which includes changing the negative depiction of their history from the way it was shown by the colonizers. 5) Impact on feminist scholarship Like mentioned before in the article, the impact of colonization has been widespread; one of the very important influences of colonial discourse has been on feminist scholarship. Mohanty (1984) discusses how Western scholars colonize the heterogeneities of women in the third world that provide work that portrays them to be a single monolith, not accounting for their differences but instead viewing them to all be the same, facing the same issues. Aspects such as the different ethnicities, religious beliefs, classes and cultures that these women belong to is given little importance, rather the kind of problems they face from patriarchy is seen to be the same for them all. The important thing to note here is the impact that such homogenization of third world women has on the political arena. The end result is the creation of two kinds of women, third world women who are shown to be ignorant, poor and oppressed, and first world women who are portrayed as modern, educated and liberal. This analysis is done from the point of view of Western scholars themselves and hence it is ethnocentric in nature as it views people from other cultures and backgrounds from their own perspective. What impact does it have and in what forms? It results in a degradation of a particular segment of women, classifying them into one box, while privileging another segment of women and establishing them as the norm to be followed, to be imitated. Colonial discourse is inherently embedded in racialism and ethnocentrisms – the belief in the superiority of a particular race while seeing others as inferior and less developed; it can be summed up neatly by referring to the well known “white man’s burden” phenomenon, where it is considered the moral duty of the civilized, modern world to spread its knowledge and share its technologies with the less developed and underprivileged countries in the Third World. This was precisely the ideology used to justify imperialistic ambitions and control of the economies and resources of lesser developed countries. The argument given was that they were not yet ready to rule themselves – they were categorized to be backward, dishonest, slow and lazy. Such stereotypes were (and continue to be) instilled in the minds of people through academic research works, books, popular magazines such as National Geographic, TV shows as well as Disney cartoons such as Alladin. The important factors to notice is the impact that such rhetoric has on the minds of the colonized and those colonizing. The impact on the colonized is two fold; he is both compelled to follow the ideology of the colonizer because of the way he has been degraded to a category of subhuman and he wants to redeem himself, at the same time however, he wants to hold on to his own cultural ideologies too. Thus, the main objective of post colonial theories is to make space for marginalized groups so that they are able to offer alternative discourses, filling in the gap that was not there before. References Chretien, Jean-Pierre (translated by Scott Straus) (2003). "The Great Lakes of Africa: Two Thousand Years of History". New York : Zone Books Fanon, Frantz. (1963). The Wretched of the Earth. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, p. 190 – 199 Frantz Fanon (1967) Black Skin, White Masks. NY: Grove Press. Gendzier, Irene L (1976). Psychology and Colonialism: Some Observations. Middle East Journal, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Autumn,), pp. 501-515. Published by: Middle East Institute Little, Douglas (2002). American Orientalism: The United States and the Middle East since 1945. Publisher: University of North Carolina Press Mohanty, Chandra (1988). Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses. Feminist Review, No. 30 (Autumn, 1988), pp. 61-88. Published by: Palgrave Macmillan Journals Slim, Randa (2009)."The Ferghana Valley: In the Midst of a Host of Crises." In Searching for Peace in Central and South Asia: An Overview of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Activities, eds. Monique Mekenkamp, Paul van Tongeren, and Hans van de Veen, p. 141-142 Read More