Online Module 2: Colonial Encounters in Asia, Africa and Oceana (Chapter 18)

Hello! Welcome to another blog post. If you read my last one, I am sure you are aware that we discussed the previous chapter, Chapter 17. In this post, we will be focusing on Europe's colonial encounters with Asia, Africa, and Oceana. I will be answering three "big picture" questions from the chapter below, just like the previous post. Let's get to it! 

1.  In what different ways were colonial rule established in various parts of Africa and Asia?

Colonial rule in various parts of Africa and Asia was established through advanced military powers, conquests, and strong economic power. In terms of military power, forced and voluntary transfer of European armies to Africa and Asia gave Europeans an advantage. They were the leaders in military power. Many Asian and African countries at the time lacked or had weak military enforcement which gave the West benefits. The Europeans also had advanced firepower compared to the other two continents. The lack of powerful defense tools made it harder for the two continents to prohibit European colonization. For European conquests, Europeans used their advanced technology to navigate the world and reach far and new places. Again, Europe was at an advantage as with these tools they are able to conquer countries across the world and benefit from them. In terms of strong economic power, European colonies were used as trading centers. Europeans also used the resources of the countries they colonized to their expense. Often times these resources are exploited and natives of the country cannot fight back as they were not as advanced. An example of the trade that occurs is they traded firepower and cloth with Africa for exchange of slaves. Europe would then sell these slaves to the elite and benefit from this.  

2. What was distinctive about European colonial empires of the 19^thcentury?

There are many distinctive characteristics that make the European colonial empires of the 19th century. The first, the extent to which colonial states were able to penetrate the societies they governed. I remember looking at a world map during my Introduction to Comparative class with Dr. Stephen Cole. The World Map showed the colonial rule and how long it took countries to gain independence from their respective colonizers. When I looked at the data, most, or if not all of the colonizers were from the West, specifically European countries. Spain in the Philippines, Britain in India, the French in Vietnam, and a couple more. This showed that the Western countries had full control and were the world leaders at the time which made them distinctive. Another characteristic would be they were immensely for the idea of classifying their people. There was the presence of a class system and dividing society according to status and race. This was very much evident during the 19th century— and actually to this day.  In accordance with this, race played a major role in the division of society. In fact, race played a role in determining who were “rulers” and who was being “led”, or In simpler terms, which racial inequality. 

3. How were the lives of African women in particular altered by colonial economies?

The lives of African women during the time of colonial economies were focused on the familial aspect, just as it was for many other countries during the time. Prior to the beginning of colonialism in Africa, women were able to do things much freely. They actively farmed and helped in the more tedious physical work. There were no strains present, not many restrictions. But because European countries heavily believed in the idea that women should be restricted to that of housework and focus on the family, this idealism influenced the countries they colonized. Women were excluded from the global marketplace, were restricted, not given proper rights and were prohibited from most agricultural work, a drastic change from the freedom they were used to. Women were responsible and actually expected to maintain small farming activity and focus much more on the family. Because the fathers/ men were entrusted to do more physical labor and were even traded as slaves, women also had no choice but to fully focus on their families as there was no male figure present. The restriction on the actions and rights of women is a common theme amongst Europe and European colonies and plays a major factor in inequality and the pace of a country’s advancement.