Imperialism

Imperialism

Imperialism is all about the exercise of domination in cultural relations (Tomlinson 2012, p.1). As a consequence, the practices, values and meanings of a dominant foreign culture are imposed upon native communities. In a broad sense, cultural imperialism involves forced adoption of the customs and cultural habits by the Europeans, which spanned from the nineteenth to twentieth centuries (Tomlinson 2012, p.1). Imperialism can also be looked at as a dominant relationship between collectivities, specifically between nations. The movie Lawrence of Arabia explores the concept of imperialism as the protagonist sets out to liberate the Turks from domination by France and England (Myers 2015). Although imperialism is a cluster of various human undertakings, it’s a concern for Africans and Asians (Alatas 2000, p.23). Imperialism was not as good as it seemed because it allowed the dispossession of native resources, brutality, loss of native culture and racism.

Imperialism is harmful because it culminates into the dispossession of the natural resources of the natives. Typically, when a nation makes imperial acts on another nation, the move usually results in profitability. Thus, the dominating country imposes its policies and culture to their native counterparts, making them lose confidence in themselves. Although imperialism facilitates technological advancements in the host country, the natives suffer more because their natural resources benefit the dominating country. Akbar, for instance, affirms the detrimental nature of domination when he points out that European colonialism left behind miserable and shattered Muslim society (Whine, 2019, p.4). The rationale for the claim, as mentioned above, is that Muslims suffered owing to corruption, collapsing state structures and poverty. Muslims further suffered blows because they were patriotic and obedient to Europeans, attributes which made them at the receiving end of the colonizer’s brutality.

Imperialism allows for the cruel treatment of the natives. Typically, the dominant country colonizes for their prestige and economic advancement. Although colonial powers divide a continent for the countries to be colonized, colonial powers are never interested in the wellbeing of the natives. In the case of Muslim lands, for instance, Akbar posits that Muslim natives and migrants were deprived the opportunity to work in fields they were qualified in, all due to imperialism (Whine, 2019, p.3). In other cases, colonial powers force the natives to gather raw materials for sale in various world markets. However, the profits earned to make the colonizer wealthy. Nonetheless, that happens at the expense of the native country because it continually grows poor. After all, the colonizers give nothing to the natives. The colonizing power thus becomes more and more affluent. Also, the colonizers barely understand the natives. For the case of Muslims and their European colonizers, for instance, Europeans could not understand Muslims because they are devout compared to European societies which are purely securely (Whine, 2019, p.3).

Imperialism culminates into the loss of the native culture. Usually, when a country dominates over another, it forces the native communities to adopt its lifestyle. As a result, the colonizer’s culture becomes dominant at the expense of the values and practices of the natives. Muslim societies, for instance, prove the detrimental nature of imperialism as they are marred by people who struggle with their own identity, all because they were assimilated into the European way of life (Whine, 2019, p.4). Although imperialism facilitates the modernization of the natives, taking the culture of the natives and replacing it with the colonizer’s way of life degrades the native practices and culture. Thus, what the natives work so hard to preserve changes and becomes modernized all because of imperialism. Also, since imperialist nations force those they dominate to pay taxes to them, that forces members of these communities to work for minimal wages from the farms grabbed and owned by the colonizers. As a consequence, the natives end up depending on the colonizer for their survival.

Imperialism also goes hand in hand with racism. Since the dominant power has a philosophy that their people are better compared to the native communities, the superiority complex allows the natives to be maltreated. An excellent racist case is that of European Colonizers on Muslim lands, who failed to explore and teach Muslim influence to the European culture. However, Muslims remained more patriotic to the Europeans, even better compared to the indigenous populations (Whine, 2019, p.3). Also, since the colonizing powers had more power, they use it against the native communities and impose their will on them. Also, on many occasions, the dominating nation sets separate housing and facilities for use. Additionally, the dominant power establishes segregate policies for them to rule over their native counterparts and impose their will on the minorities. In the end, the dominant country lives their dreams as the native communities wallow in poverty and struggle even to acquire basic things like healthcare and decent housing because they are from a race deemed inferior by the colonizing power.

From an individual standpoint, it would be difficult to make any positive case from the global legacy of imperialism. Although some good things like infrastructure and modernization came out of it, an analysis of case by case of imperialism proves that it was a multifaceted issue rather than a beneficial affair. All in all, there were a plethora of evils propagated by imperialists. Accounts of abuse, brutality and forced labour and other horrifying atrocities were the order of the day for the dominated communities. In my conception, Imperialism also robs the natives of what their country produces. The rationale for the claim above is that although the natives work hard, they earn nothing in return owing to their hard work. However, all the income and profits made go to the hands of the colonizer. Also, the natives are forced to abandon their own identity and adopt foreign cultures, which culminate into the loss of the culture of indigenous communities. On other occasions, the natives are forced to struggle with their own identity as it is dominated and changed by the colonizers.

In summation, Imperialism indeed allowed for the dispossession of the resources of the dominated countries as well as brutality. Racism and the loss of native culture were other significant outcomes of imperialism. Since imperialist countries thrive on the superiority philosophy, they maltreat people of the countries they dominate. Moreover, colonial powers also request the natives to pay taxes to them, despite grabbing land and using the native labour to generate produce. As a result, the natives are left at the mercy of the colonizer because they continually work for little or no wages as the profits go to the imperialist nation. Although imperialism has some positive impacts because it makes native regions grow owing to invasion, modernism and education, the implications are far much felt. The reason behind the above claim is that imperial powers tend to maltreat those under them. Also, when colonial powers impose their cultures to those they colonize, that can facilitate a cultural extinction of the native practices and values.