Penny Von Eschen
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195382419
- eISBN:
- 9780199932641
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195382419.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Despite the horrors of the Holocaust and the faltering of Europe’s empires under the pressures of war, colonialism was reinstated after the war just as returning veterans were forced back to their ...
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Despite the horrors of the Holocaust and the faltering of Europe’s empires under the pressures of war, colonialism was reinstated after the war just as returning veterans were forced back to their subordinate place in southern society. Ideas of race were made and remade during the war, but the practice of racism continued. The postwar extension of American power depended on the social production of new forms of racial thinking as well as the unthinking “common-sense” employment of previously held assumptions. By considering race, civil rights and colonialism from a global perspective, this chapter suggests the war be de-centered from the story of twentieth century struggle for racial freedom, instead situated within the longer context of colonial conquest and anti-colonial struggle.Less
Despite the horrors of the Holocaust and the faltering of Europe’s empires under the pressures of war, colonialism was reinstated after the war just as returning veterans were forced back to their subordinate place in southern society. Ideas of race were made and remade during the war, but the practice of racism continued. The postwar extension of American power depended on the social production of new forms of racial thinking as well as the unthinking “common-sense” employment of previously held assumptions. By considering race, civil rights and colonialism from a global perspective, this chapter suggests the war be de-centered from the story of twentieth century struggle for racial freedom, instead situated within the longer context of colonial conquest and anti-colonial struggle.
Uday Singh Mehta
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264393
- eISBN:
- 9780191734571
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264393.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
Decolonization of the European empires in the twentieth century was spurred by the colonized based on two purposes: the desire for independence, and the desire to build a sovereign political ...
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Decolonization of the European empires in the twentieth century was spurred by the colonized based on two purposes: the desire for independence, and the desire to build a sovereign political identity. The most obvious feature of the first intention was the formation of anti-imperialist movements, organised under the banner ‘they must leave’. The latter was characterized by the establishment of constitutional government, which highlighted the identity of a novice country in a political and unified form and which featured a central source of power. These two purposes share a complex relationship. For power to be sovereign, independence must be gained first. Power cannot be obligated to the wishes of another power or constrained by the laws of another regime. The struggle for independence of European empires did not readily create the conditions for the exercise of a sovereign power. It was elusive at the moment of independence. This chapter discusses some of the implications of these two purposes, with emphasis on the second purpose and the Indian experience. It addresses questions such as: what is the meaning of collective identity to those newly independent countries in the context of politics; what were the pressures on the claims to political identity and unity; how did these pressures encourage a revolutionary mindset in the conceptualization of constitutional provisions and political power; and how does the struggle for political identity relate to the history of nation and its struggle for independence?Less
Decolonization of the European empires in the twentieth century was spurred by the colonized based on two purposes: the desire for independence, and the desire to build a sovereign political identity. The most obvious feature of the first intention was the formation of anti-imperialist movements, organised under the banner ‘they must leave’. The latter was characterized by the establishment of constitutional government, which highlighted the identity of a novice country in a political and unified form and which featured a central source of power. These two purposes share a complex relationship. For power to be sovereign, independence must be gained first. Power cannot be obligated to the wishes of another power or constrained by the laws of another regime. The struggle for independence of European empires did not readily create the conditions for the exercise of a sovereign power. It was elusive at the moment of independence. This chapter discusses some of the implications of these two purposes, with emphasis on the second purpose and the Indian experience. It addresses questions such as: what is the meaning of collective identity to those newly independent countries in the context of politics; what were the pressures on the claims to political identity and unity; how did these pressures encourage a revolutionary mindset in the conceptualization of constitutional provisions and political power; and how does the struggle for political identity relate to the history of nation and its struggle for independence?
Robin J. Moore
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205654
- eISBN:
- 9780191676734
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205654.003.0019
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History, British and Irish Modern History
This chapter explores the post-Mutiny rehabilitation of the Raj and the relatively small adjustments to it during the late nineteenth century. On the whole, the government in London and India, as ...
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This chapter explores the post-Mutiny rehabilitation of the Raj and the relatively small adjustments to it during the late nineteenth century. On the whole, the government in London and India, as well as the military reconstruction, administrative arrangements, and financial organization, endured remarkably well, sufficiently satisfying Indian demand for participation in the regime. It also investigates the transformation that Victoria's last Viceroy, the authoritarian Lord Curzon, sought to effect in order to regenerate and remotivate an Imperial order that he found tired and complacent. Another follows the counter-revolution that, under Liberal governments from 1905 to 1914, was intended to re-establish stable relations between the Raj and Indians whom Curzon had alienated, and between Britain and rival European empires with interests in India's neighbours whom Curzon had sought to dominate. Finally, it evaluates India's importance for the British Empire, and the consequences of Empire for India.Less
This chapter explores the post-Mutiny rehabilitation of the Raj and the relatively small adjustments to it during the late nineteenth century. On the whole, the government in London and India, as well as the military reconstruction, administrative arrangements, and financial organization, endured remarkably well, sufficiently satisfying Indian demand for participation in the regime. It also investigates the transformation that Victoria's last Viceroy, the authoritarian Lord Curzon, sought to effect in order to regenerate and remotivate an Imperial order that he found tired and complacent. Another follows the counter-revolution that, under Liberal governments from 1905 to 1914, was intended to re-establish stable relations between the Raj and Indians whom Curzon had alienated, and between Britain and rival European empires with interests in India's neighbours whom Curzon had sought to dominate. Finally, it evaluates India's importance for the British Empire, and the consequences of Empire for India.
Saliha Belmessous
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- December 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199391783
- eISBN:
- 9780190213213
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199391783.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Early Modern History, Social History
This introductory chapter argues that European expansion was carried out by treaty making as much as by conquest and occupation. Europeans concluded treaties with indigenous peoples to advance their ...
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This introductory chapter argues that European expansion was carried out by treaty making as much as by conquest and occupation. Europeans concluded treaties with indigenous peoples to advance their commercial and political interests but also to legitimize their activities overseas. Treaty making, they believed, allowed them to reconcile expansion with moral and juridical legitimacy. This chapter reconsiders the practice of treaty making in international relations and colonial history. It examines European motivations from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century in attempting to extinguish indigenous title through treaties, the reasons why indigenous peoples engaged or not with Europeans, the way various colonial contexts influenced the idea and practice of treaty making, and the vexed but crucial issue of indigenous consent.Less
This introductory chapter argues that European expansion was carried out by treaty making as much as by conquest and occupation. Europeans concluded treaties with indigenous peoples to advance their commercial and political interests but also to legitimize their activities overseas. Treaty making, they believed, allowed them to reconcile expansion with moral and juridical legitimacy. This chapter reconsiders the practice of treaty making in international relations and colonial history. It examines European motivations from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century in attempting to extinguish indigenous title through treaties, the reasons why indigenous peoples engaged or not with Europeans, the way various colonial contexts influenced the idea and practice of treaty making, and the vexed but crucial issue of indigenous consent.
Saliha Belmessous (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- December 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199391783
- eISBN:
- 9780190213213
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199391783.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Early Modern History, Social History
This book is part of an intellectual project aimed at including indigenous voices in the debate over European appropriation of overseas territories. It is concerned with European efforts to negotiate ...
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This book is part of an intellectual project aimed at including indigenous voices in the debate over European appropriation of overseas territories. It is concerned with European efforts to negotiate with indigenous peoples the cession of their sovereignty through treaties. To grasp the extent of European legal engagement with indigenous peoples, the book examines the history of treaty making in European empires (Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and British) from the early 17th to the late 19th century, that is, during both stages of European imperialism. While scholars have often dismissed treaties, assuming that they would have been fraudulent or unequal, this book argues that there was more to the practice of treaty making than mere commercial and political opportunism. Indeed treaty making was also promoted by Europeans as a more legitimate means of appropriating indigenous sovereignties and acquiring land than were conquest or occupation, and therefore as a way to reconcile expansion with moral and juridical legitimacy. As for indigenous peoples, they engaged in treaty making as a way to further their interests even if, on the whole, they gained far less than the Europeans and often less than they bargained for. The vexed history of treaty making presents particular challenges for the great expectations placed in treaties for the resolution of conflicts over indigenous rights in postcolonial societies. These hopes are held by both indigenous peoples and representatives of the post-colonial state and yet, both must come to terms with the complex and troubled history of treaty-making over 400 years of empire.Less
This book is part of an intellectual project aimed at including indigenous voices in the debate over European appropriation of overseas territories. It is concerned with European efforts to negotiate with indigenous peoples the cession of their sovereignty through treaties. To grasp the extent of European legal engagement with indigenous peoples, the book examines the history of treaty making in European empires (Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and British) from the early 17th to the late 19th century, that is, during both stages of European imperialism. While scholars have often dismissed treaties, assuming that they would have been fraudulent or unequal, this book argues that there was more to the practice of treaty making than mere commercial and political opportunism. Indeed treaty making was also promoted by Europeans as a more legitimate means of appropriating indigenous sovereignties and acquiring land than were conquest or occupation, and therefore as a way to reconcile expansion with moral and juridical legitimacy. As for indigenous peoples, they engaged in treaty making as a way to further their interests even if, on the whole, they gained far less than the Europeans and often less than they bargained for. The vexed history of treaty making presents particular challenges for the great expectations placed in treaties for the resolution of conflicts over indigenous rights in postcolonial societies. These hopes are held by both indigenous peoples and representatives of the post-colonial state and yet, both must come to terms with the complex and troubled history of treaty-making over 400 years of empire.
James McDougall
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748643042
- eISBN:
- 9780748653270
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748643042.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This chapter surveys the impacts of Western European empire on the Middle East and North Africa. It suggests that the significance of the European empires for the nature of post-colonial sovereignty ...
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This chapter surveys the impacts of Western European empire on the Middle East and North Africa. It suggests that the significance of the European empires for the nature of post-colonial sovereignty in the Arab world is to be found in the patterns of colonial state formation that emerged from the local dynamics of territorially bounded polities, rather than in French and British grand strategy and their frustrating effects on Arab unity. Sovereignty, however qualified, has not simply been the attribute of successor states to empires — throughout the Arab world, some form of sovereignty pre-existed European overrule. In most cases, it persisted under colonialism, being reshaped in the interactions between imperial and local forces, interest and constraints, before emerging from decolonization. In the independent ‘new states’, sovereignty took forms whose particular constitutional, institutional and territorial shapes varied considerably. Throughout the region, however, and more broadly, basic features of colonial state-formation durably influenced the nature of post-colonial sovereignty.Less
This chapter surveys the impacts of Western European empire on the Middle East and North Africa. It suggests that the significance of the European empires for the nature of post-colonial sovereignty in the Arab world is to be found in the patterns of colonial state formation that emerged from the local dynamics of territorially bounded polities, rather than in French and British grand strategy and their frustrating effects on Arab unity. Sovereignty, however qualified, has not simply been the attribute of successor states to empires — throughout the Arab world, some form of sovereignty pre-existed European overrule. In most cases, it persisted under colonialism, being reshaped in the interactions between imperial and local forces, interest and constraints, before emerging from decolonization. In the independent ‘new states’, sovereignty took forms whose particular constitutional, institutional and territorial shapes varied considerably. Throughout the region, however, and more broadly, basic features of colonial state-formation durably influenced the nature of post-colonial sovereignty.
Wayne E. Lee (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814753088
- eISBN:
- 9780814765272
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814753088.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
The early modern period (c. 1500–1800) of world history is characterized by the establishment and aggressive expansion of European empires, and warfare between imperial powers and indigenous peoples ...
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The early modern period (c. 1500–1800) of world history is characterized by the establishment and aggressive expansion of European empires, and warfare between imperial powers and indigenous peoples was a central component of the quest for global dominance. From the Portuguese in Africa to the Russians and Ottomans in Central Asia, empire builders could not avoid military interactions with native populations, and many discovered that imperial expansion was impossible without the cooperation, and, in some cases, alliances with the natives they encountered in the new worlds they sought to rule. This book examines how intercultural interactions between Europeans and indigenous people influenced military choices and strategic action. Ranging from the Muscovites on the western steppe to the French and English in North America, the book analyzes how diplomatic and military systems were designed to accommodate the demands and expectations of local peoples, who aided the imperial powers even as they often became subordinated to them. Chapters investigate the analytical problem from a variety of levels, from the detailed case studies of the different ways indigenous peoples could be employed, to more comprehensive syntheses and theoretical examinations of diplomatic processes, ethnic soldier mobilization, and the interaction of culture and military technology.Less
The early modern period (c. 1500–1800) of world history is characterized by the establishment and aggressive expansion of European empires, and warfare between imperial powers and indigenous peoples was a central component of the quest for global dominance. From the Portuguese in Africa to the Russians and Ottomans in Central Asia, empire builders could not avoid military interactions with native populations, and many discovered that imperial expansion was impossible without the cooperation, and, in some cases, alliances with the natives they encountered in the new worlds they sought to rule. This book examines how intercultural interactions between Europeans and indigenous people influenced military choices and strategic action. Ranging from the Muscovites on the western steppe to the French and English in North America, the book analyzes how diplomatic and military systems were designed to accommodate the demands and expectations of local peoples, who aided the imperial powers even as they often became subordinated to them. Chapters investigate the analytical problem from a variety of levels, from the detailed case studies of the different ways indigenous peoples could be employed, to more comprehensive syntheses and theoretical examinations of diplomatic processes, ethnic soldier mobilization, and the interaction of culture and military technology.
Nancy J. Jacobs
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780300209617
- eISBN:
- 9780300220803
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300209617.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Ornithology
This chapter demonstrates how ornithologists reconciled their racial awareness and their dependence on African vernacular birders. With the establishment of the European empire over Africa, the ...
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This chapter demonstrates how ornithologists reconciled their racial awareness and their dependence on African vernacular birders. With the establishment of the European empire over Africa, the number of ornithologists who held day jobs as colonial officials expanded, and their presence spread throughout the continent. With the expansion of colonial society, recreational birdwatching, a leisure activity of urban bourgeois classes, entered the constellation of birding practices in Africa. Living with Africans, Europeans became “whites,” with all the benefits and anxieties that racial definition brought them. While working in Africa, they needed to lay boundaries to protect their status. The history of European birders in Africa shows that the politics of race were powerful, but also that they were a realm for individual negotiations.Less
This chapter demonstrates how ornithologists reconciled their racial awareness and their dependence on African vernacular birders. With the establishment of the European empire over Africa, the number of ornithologists who held day jobs as colonial officials expanded, and their presence spread throughout the continent. With the expansion of colonial society, recreational birdwatching, a leisure activity of urban bourgeois classes, entered the constellation of birding practices in Africa. Living with Africans, Europeans became “whites,” with all the benefits and anxieties that racial definition brought them. While working in Africa, they needed to lay boundaries to protect their status. The history of European birders in Africa shows that the politics of race were powerful, but also that they were a realm for individual negotiations.
François-Joseph Ruggiu
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781784993153
- eISBN:
- 9781526115096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781784993153.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
This chapter studies the status of the overseas territories seized by the French during the early modern period. The attempts made by the Crown to establish settlements in America or elsewhere are ...
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This chapter studies the status of the overseas territories seized by the French during the early modern period. The attempts made by the Crown to establish settlements in America or elsewhere are matched with the enlargements of the kingdom of France made in Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This chapter also examines how the Crown asserted its sovereignty over its distant possessions and which powers it gave to its agents, in effect showing that these overseas territories could have been politically considered as a part of the kingdom. It demonstrates that the economic subordination, which characterised the French overseas territories, was progressively superimposed on them from the middle of the seventeenth century, representing a trend which ultimately constituted these territories as colonies.Less
This chapter studies the status of the overseas territories seized by the French during the early modern period. The attempts made by the Crown to establish settlements in America or elsewhere are matched with the enlargements of the kingdom of France made in Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This chapter also examines how the Crown asserted its sovereignty over its distant possessions and which powers it gave to its agents, in effect showing that these overseas territories could have been politically considered as a part of the kingdom. It demonstrates that the economic subordination, which characterised the French overseas territories, was progressively superimposed on them from the middle of the seventeenth century, representing a trend which ultimately constituted these territories as colonies.
Robbie Ethridge
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807834350
- eISBN:
- 9781469603742
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807899335_ethridge
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Native American Studies
This sweeping regional history traces the metamorphosis of the Native South from first contact in 1540 to the dawn of the eighteenth century, when indigenous people no longer lived in a purely Indian ...
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This sweeping regional history traces the metamorphosis of the Native South from first contact in 1540 to the dawn of the eighteenth century, when indigenous people no longer lived in a purely Indian world but rather on the edge of an expanding European empire. Using a framework that its author calls the “Mississippian shatter zone” to explicate these tumultuous times, this book examines the European invasion, the collapse of the precontact Mississippian world, and the restructuring of discrete chiefdoms into coalescent Native societies in a colonial world. The story of one group—the Chickasaws—is closely followed through this period.Less
This sweeping regional history traces the metamorphosis of the Native South from first contact in 1540 to the dawn of the eighteenth century, when indigenous people no longer lived in a purely Indian world but rather on the edge of an expanding European empire. Using a framework that its author calls the “Mississippian shatter zone” to explicate these tumultuous times, this book examines the European invasion, the collapse of the precontact Mississippian world, and the restructuring of discrete chiefdoms into coalescent Native societies in a colonial world. The story of one group—the Chickasaws—is closely followed through this period.
