Colonization and De-
Colonization
• Colonialism is a political-economic fact whereby different nations
discovered, conquered, settled, and exploited large zones of the
world. The term is originated from the Latin word colere, which
means to “to inhabit” .
• From a world-systems viewpoint, much of the history of the capitalist
world-economy is a history of colonialism, consisting of repeated and
more or less successful attempts by the core to create a periphery, to
control it politically in order to exploit it economically
• The concept of colonization in international relations refers to the
process by which one nation or group exerts control over another
territory, often involving the settlement of people from the colonizing
country and the imposition of its political, economic, social, and
cultural systems on the colonized territory. This phenomenon has
been a significant driver of historical and contemporary global power
dynamics.
• Imperialistic Ambitions: Colonization typically arises from
imperialistic ambitions of dominant nations seeking to expand their
territories and influence for economic, strategic, or ideological
reasons.
• Power Asymmetry: Colonization involves a significant power
imbalance between the colonizer and the colonized, with the former
wielding superior military, economic, and technological capabilities.
• Exploitation of Resources: Colonizers often exploit the natural and
human resources of the colonized territory for their own benefit,
extracting wealth and labor to fuel their industries and economies.
• Cultural Hegemony: Colonization entails the imposition of the colonizer's
cultural norms, values, language, and institutions on the indigenous
population, often leading to the erasure or marginalization of indigenous
cultures and identities.
• Political Domination: Colonizers establish political control over the colonized
territory through various means, including direct rule, indirect rule through
local elites, or puppet governments, ensuring compliance with their policies
and interests.
• Social Stratification: Colonization frequently results in the creation of social
hierarchies within the colonized society, with the colonizers and their
collaborators occupying privileged positions while indigenous populations are
relegated to subordinate roles.
• Resistance and Rebellion: Colonization engenders resistance and
rebellion among the colonized population, who seek to challenge and
overthrow colonial rule through various forms of protest, insurgency,
or armed struggle.
• Legacy of Colonialism: The legacy of colonization persists long after
formal colonial rule ends, shaping contemporary political, economic,
and social structures, as well as intergroup relations and identities.
• Today, Colonialism has been recognized with rule over peoples of different race
occupying lands separated by salt water from the imperial centre. Especially, it
indicates direct political control by European states or states established by
Europeans, as the United States or Australia, over peoples of other races,
particularly over Asians and Africans.
• It has been documented that the most remarkable colonial powers were Britain,
France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, whose shared
empires covered at various times the whole of North, Central and South America,
Africa, Australia, much of Indonesia, the countries lying in the Levant, much of the
Indian subcontinent as well as most of the countries lying in between. In short,
most of the world. Germany as a colonial power is often considered a minor aspect
of Europe’s imperialist development.
• Decolonization Movements: Colonization sparks decolonization
movements driven by aspirations for self-determination, sovereignty,
and independence, leading to the dismantling of colonial empires and
the emergence of new nation-states.
• Global Inequality: Colonization contributes to global inequality by
perpetuating disparities in wealth, development, and power between
former colonizers and colonized countries, as well as within societies
affected by colonization.
• Both the capitalist and pre-capitalist world-systems have had colonial empires.
Colonialism brings a totally new existence to the colonies. Cultural which are
unfamiliar to one another are brought together and forced to interact and coexist.
• The subjugation of lands and forceful coexistence of peoples of different
backgrounds (as a result of the conquest) with different beliefs and philosophies has
brought about many changes, both negative and positive, especially in the colonies.
• Records have shown that the age of modern colonialism started around 1500,
following the European discoveries of a sea route around Africa’s southern coast
(1488) and of America (1492).
