Influence of Colonization Politics on Modern Field-work…
Hell-bent on expansion, the British Empire insisted on the exhaustive domination of one people over another, and in doing so, fostered hatred and friction between cultures in the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries. Cultural friction has presented a large disruption in the anthropological relationship between observer and participant in historical fieldwork, and moreover, “the bulk of social and cultural anthropological field work has been done in colonial settings” (Cohn, 1). The colonization politics of the British Empire instilled severe prejudices among people and frustrated anthropological encounters of this time and still chase after our conceptions of anthropology today.
In its most basic sense, the Empire was a mouth with a home-country belly; the greed of many individuals concentrated in one unrelenting motion to consume. Hyde identifies this insatiable urge as consequence of hoarding in lieu of sharing wealth; “an empire needs its clerks with their ledgers and their clocks saving pennies in time. The problem is that wealth ceases to move freely when all things are counted and priced” (Hyde, 22). ‘Wealth’, comprising the resources, industry and people of a nation, as demonstrated in Cohn’s article detailing the British census of India, is determined to secure power.
Power is a warped motivation for anthropological fieldwork and produces warped observer-participant relationships. The census coolly objectified Indians; statistics replaced names and numbers rudely wrenched social understandings. Indians were angered at the forced classification of their community and how ignorant foreigners ranked them. As the all-consuming hunger of the Empire disrupt...
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...t. Early anthropology is by no means equivalent to modern fieldwork in terms of respect and understanding between differing cultures.
Even after substantial passages of time, prejudice remains. The hunger of an empire consumes itself and produces broken societies filled with non-cooperative tendencies as a result of discrimination. The ideas of ethnic hierarchy are renewed in practice generation after generation; cultural domination is addictive. Societies built on unjust domination refuse to yield to real progressive change and understanding between human beings. Yet the discipline of anthropology has grown beyond its arrogant racist beginnings, and today, exposes the multiple truths within human communities. By not moralizing cultural differences as uncivilized or wrong, anthropology opens a new vein of social understanding and dialog between different peoples.
"Oil Imports and Exports - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy." Web. 26 May 2011. .
Within the period of 1900-1920, many national reforms were rising to the top as Progressive Era reformers and the federal government heard the voices of the people. The effectiveness of Progressivism is a controversial subject for some, but the future was changed through the events of any actions a president made, the rights of people, and unfair treatment and conditions. This era brings changes to our society that also changes the future of it. These two decades brought forth successful times in bettering America.
By the time period of 1900-1920 America was almost fully industrialized. At this time, America was going through a Gilded Age where everything looked good on the outer perspective however on the inside, there were many issues within society. The Progressive Era consisted of people who wanted to reform society politically, socially, and economically. Progressive reformers and the federal government were successful in bringing about reform at the national level by gaining some women's rights as well as African Americans trying to better their reputation in society, improving working conditions, and fixing the American economy.
The Progressive Era ( 1890’s- 1920’s) was a period of political reforms and social activism within politicians, and radical groups. Some politicians were also known as “Political Progressives”, this group made great changes in the effort to sooth the anger of many industrial workers, and to make their jobs a little less rigorous, however the changes put into effort by political progressives would do little to aid the concerns such as those of the radicals groups (women, blacks, Mexican-Americans).
During the Progressive Era from 1900-1920 the reformers were not very successful at bringing about reform at the national level. These reformers had worked more closely with the federal government than ever before and made some significant gains. In the period of 1900-1920 the progressive era focused on labor, trust, women’s rights and bad sanitation. With the help of the federal government they were able to achieve most of their goals.
The Progressive Era marked a time of change for America, as lifestyle for millions was improved but change was slow to come, and in major groups in society no change was seen at all. But it was a time period in which the government worked more with the people than it ever had before, and the president took the concerns of his people and incorporated them into his policies. While many efforts were made to regulate business, child labor, and sanitization laws, significant issues such as civil rights for African Americans and equality for women were not effectively covered at the national level by progressive era reformers and the federal government.
Along with the necessary regulation of business, the Progressive Era opened the door to a lot of positive change in the United States by eliminating and fixing some of the problems of the Gilded Age. Reforms in the social, political, and economic aspect were made. Government regulation on business and a more democratic political system were achieved during this time period. On the contrary, racial equality was not. Inequality between races was a recurring theme. While many of the issues needing reform were attended to, racial discrimination against blacks was not.
Racism and discrimination are common factors that current society faces, but these are not only contemporary problems. For instance, research has shown that since the nineteen century, “when cultural anthropology became an established academic discipline, one of the underlying objectives of the scholars in the field was to probe that blacks and other nonwhite ethnic groups were genetically and cognitive inferior than whites.” (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 24) Through history constant studies and techniques have developed in order to test theories that justify discrimination, and as the quote states, one common goal was to establish white superiority among all races. This racist pattern has been repeated in America since the times
Zystrla, M. "Colonization of History." Welcome to Study Anthropology; A Resource for Applied and Cultural Anthropology. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. .
Anytime we hear the word “slavery”, we tend to think of the Southern United States during the Pre-Civil War era. What many people don’t know, is that this horrible act has occurred worldwide! The term “slavery” has many different definitions, and has occurred all throughout our world history. It wasn’t until the early 18th century that the thought of anti-slavery came about. Many economic, social, and technological forces have played a part in the decline of slavery around the globe.
Racism comes in many forms and fashions. Reasons for this intolerance, are just as varied and numerous. Intolerance is displayed by humans toward one another in regards to skin color, ethnicity, religions and personal sexual habits, among a few. Comparably, some are taught through environment, the temperament that was prevalent in the households were one was reared, from acquaintances and from revered people that one connects with on life’s journeys, and from world views, among a few.
In 1970 oil reserves became more scarce, leading to a decrease in production, while consumption continued to grow rapidly (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011). In order to fill the gap between rising demand and falling supply of oil, the United States became more and more dependent on imported oil, primarily from Arab countries in the Middle East. (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011). As the U.S and many other countries became highly industrialized nations, they became even more dependent on oil imports. With demand being higher than the actual amount of supply, prices kept rising reaching a peak of $140 a barrel in 2008. (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011).
"The Consequences of Global WarmingOn Wildlife." Consequences of Global Warming. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. .
To gain a better understanding and develop a positive attitude and acceptance of the varying ethnic and cultural differences we have in society today in the modern world, we need to step back and examine and study the philosophical views of ancient philosophers and attempt to modify the traditional mind set of today’s population in regards to racism. We are in fact all human, all cultures, all ethnic groups, all races, all skin color and cannot be compared to other living creatures, we can make judgments, we know right from wrong, we all have the opportunity to succeed. We as the human race must re-evaluate our morals which define our personal character and strive to make healthier and better decision in our lives on issues that affect our fellow man, as well as being ethical in our social lives and activities.
...ed Okonkwo, “[The white man] says that our customs are bad. But how can he understand our customs when he does not even speak our tongue?” This powerful line from the book Things Fall Apart, captures the very essence of the negatives of colonialism. The Europeans did not see the cultures that once flourished or the ancient traditions embedded in the local tribes. They did not see the sense of community and belongingness that their victims once shared. Instead of taking their differences as unique, the Europeans saw them as a threat to their economic progress. They took so much away from the civilizations that will never be regained, simply for their own imperialistic, monetary purposes. European nations may have reached an all time high in terms of economic prosperity, but it was not and will never be worth the loss of humanity and morality necessary to achieve it.