Colonialism

Colonialism: 1600- the present. 09:56:00

25/09/2007

Guest Lecturer from the religious department, emph. Arabic/Muslim studies. AN: Heads up, the guy was very quiet so this is pretty much a collection of what I assumed I heard him say---- enjoy.

I. 1550-1600: Situation worldwide in cultural exchange. • Arabs and Persians became equal (?) • Trade was dominated in settlements. o Cairo-Venice third trade settlement. II. West vs. Asia. • Europeans only present in small trading outposts. However, mere present of Europeans cause manufacturers to produce towards Europeans. o Europeans come to enjoy a social power due to their present. • WHY? Growth of Science in Europe correlates with trade. o Charting the world and gaining commodities (such as spices) . • More so--- the sponsorship by the monarchy for exploration. o Risks of exploration = ships sinking and losing a lot of money (gambling essentially).  To reduce risk, the invention of shares came into being. III. Loyalties (European) [in terms of European Shares] • Religious loyalties and Family loyalties did not matter as much in terms of trade. • Mostly nationalist loyalty. • In order to trade it was required to purchase shares. o The shares companies fell into the archives that tracked the charts and maps of which routes they took [done by geographers and astronomers].  Led to archiving knowledge. And out-trade, out-sell their Asian competitions.

IV. New Goal: Trade and Spices. • Set up trade colonies on islands of Indonesia. [Dutch] o First use of the term colonies in the sense of trade: Latin. Cultivate, to inhabit > colonnus, a tenant farmer, settler in a new land. Land that is contact with the mother country. • British move in, Dutch get angry… o Surround the islands and starve the inhabitants. Get newcomers the Africans (slave-population) - to cultivate the goods and cheap work. V. Mughals: What did they do? • Persian as language of learning. • Arrive in India as refugees. • Set up their own consolidating power in India. o They created their own colonies? 

Lecturer opinion: no. Temporary setup simply for trade. Only learn the language for trade aspects, family outside the colony. // Mughals set up to live there. Set up to learn the language and assimilate into the culture. [not just for trade]

VI. Trade and some new issues: • Due to the creation of new factories: Manufactured factory products become available at a much cheaper price than home-made items. o Leads to a change in trade.  Major loss in jobs due to cheaper production and cost of factory manufactured items. o Cash Crop v Food Crop: To make of the loss cash that factory manufactured items have caused.  Food Crop: A crop that can be eaten and forms a staple of a communities’ diet: rice, wheat.  Cash Crop: A crop used to manufacture something of commercial value or one that cannot form the staple of a communities nutritious needs: rubber, tea, cocoa, indigo, nutmeg. o Indentured Servitude v. Slavery:

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Indenture: A contract binding one to work for another for a fixed period of time.

VII. Growth and Decay • Heavy with age. Bow under the weight of their own progress. o Culture as an old man. [Asian atleast]  England comes in as the youth. • Colonized culture as an infant in a sense. o Need helping hand and guidance. • Colonized culture lacking something—too feminine? o Causes them to succumb. Due to irrational? * ¾ of the lecture, I gave up out of being lost and not hearing much of wth he was saying.

25/09/2007 09:56:00

25/09/2007 09:56:00