Ch. 18 Colonial Encounters in Asia and Africa or How to Have Your Life Ruined by Euros

In the last paragraph on page 882, many aspects of the Chinese and Indian cultures were held in high esteem, and some even married their women.  Two paragraphs later, the Chinese and Africans are reduced to subpar humans.  How fickle we are with one another.

I suppose one way of justifying the superior race card is to turn the tables and act like a benefactor.

Juxtaposition:  “endless but peaceful negotiations among the competing Great Powers about “who got what” and extensive and bloody military action” (p. 885).  Does this mean make an offer they can’t refuse?  OK, I see now.  There were no central authorities with whom to negotiate, so conquests had to be made by force.

Good for the Zulu and the Boers for fighting back and not making their overthrow easy!

Did not know that Ethiopia and Thailand avoided colonization!  Cool.

Sometimes the old saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” is worth its weight in gold, meaning it is easier to cooperate than get beat to a pulp.

Why innocent animals have to get dragged into human battles is just plain sad, i.e. animal fat from both used for gun cartridges.  I do not like weaponry – this is what starts trouble because people feel powerful with guns.  Sad.

Oh, those Brits were clever with their invention of a Brahmin version of “traditional India” and with the idea of a “tribal Africa” (p. 892), not to mention linking inferiority of women with the weaker races.  Trickery at its best.

I am willing to bet the people buying cars were not thinking about where the rubber came from for the tires, nor had they any idea about the cruelty and violence inflicted on those poor people of the Congo, who were abused for the sake of rubber.  Sickening.

Here is another slave labor technique:  the cultivation system.  Not only do you starve to death, but you get whipped while being forced to cultivate, then you have to turn around a pay taxes on it.  Raw deal.

What else is new?  The women end up having to support their families without the husband, yet men are always concerned with controlling women’s “sexuality and mobility” (p. 901).  Control is the name of the game.

I find it interesting that the Euro colonizers had a “paternalistic obligation of the superior to the inferior” (p. 902).  This is quite new considering the forcefulness with which they overtook most of the colonies.  I am actually taken aback at this statement.  Just take a look at the photo on page 894 - that photo is worth a million words.

Everybody hold it!  This “female circumcision” thing is absolutely atrocious.  I have heard of this and have actually seen a photo of this being performed.  It is repulsive!  Who thinks of these absurd actions?  Dang!

I like this Edward Blyden’s assessment comparing African culture to that of the Euros at the bottom of page 909.  Nice!

The term “tribe” was something contrived by the colonialists.  “Ethnic identity” is a much more powerful term.