DIVERSITY WITHIN DIVERSITY
NIHARIKA VERMA
ROLL NO:1506
Imperialism. It’s a word that the entire world was familiar with when Great Britain was a force to be reckoned with. Snatching up territory to expand its sphere of influence, the unassuming island claimed lands from the bottom tip of Africa to the northern regions of the Americas.India was also caught in its wide cast net, tangled in fishing line, but jumped to turn back to water.
In the traditional sense of the word, imperialism is now obsolete. Countries don’t stake claim to territories; they influence others by diplomacy, military, and most importantly, culture.America’s cultural imperialism is subtle but quite effective, taking the form of a boosted denim industry in Korea or even a greater likelihood of spotting a
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Do we go to the new Hollywood blockbuster with trendy actors, or do we go to the run-down theatre on the other side of town to see the Bollywood box office hit? Do we press a single button on our car sound system to get English music, or do we shuffle through our Hindi music playlists on our phones while simultaneously rushing to find the aux cord at a red light? How many times can we make a conscious decision to immerse ourselves in American culture before we can no longer make a list of the Top 10 Shah Rukh and Kajol moments from films, or forget the words to our favourite Hindi song? How much time does it take for us before keeping up with Bollywood movies, Hindi songs, Indian sports and current events becomes too taxing?
Being an American-born Confused Desi is difficult. We dwell on the dichotomy between American and Indian culture, with a cultivated respect for both. We go through phases where being Indian is easier, but usually the American phase predominates. Maybe some can sit on the bridge between the two, but such cases are regarded as rare. At the end one has to choose one between the two and its usually the one that dominates
American Imperialism Imperialism by the book is the policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political or military territories. The time period where the US exampled imperialism was very important for our country because the US was able to grow with the new territories that were gained and the economic gain from the new market that were acquired. The spread of American culture was also a big concept during this time in the countries history. The United States exhibited imperialism between 1890-1920 through military strength, new markets, and cultural superiority.
Imperialism is a term used to define a country extending its power through military or diplomacy over another country. The term, in the nineteenth century, included various actions, such as economic exploitation and cultural imperialism. This could include anything involving two groups with one having some degree of control over the other for their own gain. The cause of this change in world relations in the nineteenth century cannot be traced back to one reason. Possible contributing factors comprise of nationalism, social darwinism, and the hope for economic power.
When Sacheen Littlefeather moved to Haight-Ashbury people were surprised by the way she dressed when they knew she was Native, when she saw the way hippies looked she knew she didn’t look like that but that was the way others saw her. Sacheen Littlefether was asked to collect an award for Marlon Brando for the best actor in “Godfather”, but when she was accepting the award the crowd was shocked because she didn’t look like a “true Indian”. The way Indians looked on the streets compared to in the movies was very different. The Indians on the streets would wear indigenous headbands for the look but not knowing it was to keep the wigs on during the movies.
Imperialism is the best way for us to expand.” He said. Such a wise man, right? “Well, what does imperialism exactly mean sir?”
The definition of imperialism is an action by a strong nation to take control of another country. According to CDC Malaria is a “mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite”. Between the late 1500’s and the early 1800’s Europeans didn’t enter Africa, because of the disease malaria. This ended during the 1800’s European countries such as France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Portuguese, Belgium, and spain imperialised Africa. “What was the driving force behind the imperialism in africa?”
Bharati comes to America with her arms open wide, willing to adjust her customs and conducts in order to assimilate to her new country. She celebrates change and views it as a positive aspect in her life. The author says, “America spoke to me - I married it - I embraced the demotion from expatriate aristocrat to immigrant nobody,” meaning that to Bharati, America is not just a country. It symbolizes opportunity and freedom, which she desires most. (Mukherjee 282).
Imperialism, "the policy where a country increases its power by gaining control over other areas of the world", was a very common government policy beginning in the late 15th century (Merriam-Webster). A sub-category of the large term, imperialism, is colonization, which is where people from the powerful country actually go and live in the conquered territory. Europeans were the first to engage in this international activity, and some very large powers emerged, one of the biggest being Britain. Britain had many imperial relationships spanning multiple continents including Asia, Africa, and North America. One of their most impactful, both positive and negative, relationships was with America.
American imperialism is economically, socially, and politically damaging to countries, as well as costly for America. Furthermore, it infringes upon national sovereignty and the right to self-governance. Historical cases have shown the detrimental repercussions America has repeatedly caused. The few cases of success should not undermine the calamitous effects American neo-imperialism has caused. The United States should cede its colonies and stop intervening in the affairs of other nations.
Even though America has become quite the diverse place with diverse cultures, the cultural appropriation found within the American society contributes to the loss of multiple minority culture’s identity. Native Americans are one of the minority groups most heavily impacted by cultural appropriation. From offensive sports, many American Indians feel as though their cultural identities are lost in the mass of stereotypes and false representations of them in popular culture. In literature and film, Indians are too often portrayed as some variation of “the Noble or Ignoble Savage” (Gordon, 30), violent and uneducated, and it is easy to imagine how this negative representation inspires resentment in the Native American community, who have no interest in having their cultures and peoples being reduced to mere savages,
When I came to America, I had to go through much struggle. First and the most important was that I did not know how to speak English. Apart from this I was very shy, so I didn’t communicate with people frequently. Growing up in America and being a son of two Indian parents, I never felt truly American or Indian. I spoke Punjabi at home, but was educated in English so I had difficulty managing two languages.
America on the world stage Imperialism, the policy by which strong nations extend their political, military, and economic control over weaker territories. One reason why European nations and Japan rushed to grab colonies was the desire for raw materials and natural resources. These colonial economies were examples of extractive economies. To expand and protect their interests around the world, nations built up their military strength.
Imperialism means that one country controls all political, economic, or cultural life in another country or region. Europe successfully did this in the Americas and established colonies in South Asia, Africa, and China. Although this would seem like a substantial amount of power, Europe did not gain much influence until later on. Once Europe recognized their own growing control, they embarked on what is now called the “New Imperialism”. Many components played into this seemingly rapid success, but one significant reason was that of the
Imperialism has been the strongest force this past century; Enslaving natives, while obliterating civilizations. Imperialism is when a country or civilization swallows another country for its land, labor, and raw materials with influence or military force. Imperialism was both, good and bad. Imperialism was a good thing because it expanded existing civilizations, and allowed people to be more civilized under a large military force. Imperialism was a bad thing because people in charge would become too power hungry and try to gain more of everything disregarding the people who are suppose to be civilized.
In the essay “Two Ways to Belong in America,” from 50 essays, Bharati Mukherjee contrasts the different views of the United States from two Indian sisters. The author distinguishes her American lifestyle to her sister’s traditional Indian lifestyle. Both sisters grew up in Calcutta, India, moved to America in search of education and work. Bharati adjusts to the American society very quickly, where her sister Mira clings to her Indian traditions more strongly. Despite both sisters living in America, only Bharati is an American citizen, while her sister Mira is not.
Coming to the cultural differences between Americans and Indians, the Indians are very much family oriented and much respect is paid to family values. On the other side, Americans culture values individual values and is more prominent than the family values. Another difference is that American culture appreciates mobility while the Indian culture love stability. On the other side, Americans think of self-reliance and independence while Indians are more dependent on other. Lastly, Indians value elders’ views in the decision-making process while the American culture teaches people to make their own decisions.