INTRODUCTION
International relations can be described as “ways in which countries, groups of people in those countries and even individuals within those countries interact with and affect one another. This interaction includes, amongst other, the worlds’ governments, non-state actors such as international organizations, multinational corporations and individuals, social structures such as economics and culture, and geographical and historical influence (Mgoja and Makombe, 2009:27). It emerged in 1919 at the University of Wales in the United States.
International relations is divided into subfields such as international relations theory, international security, international law and organizations and international political economy. There are
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Hence, focusing exclusively on great powers implies that third world is unimportant, indeed invisible
According to Neuman, the past decades has seen a number of studies questioning the applicability of existing International theory. How could experiences of Africa and scholars generated by Africans contribute to greater understanding of international relations? The focus here is, therefore to borrow from Arlene Tickner (2003a:300), on the developing world as an agent of international relations knowledge rather than an object of international relations study, African experiences provide insights for the development of international relation theory and policy far beyond the continent (2001:150).
If one considers the interest in indigenous knowledge from Africa and the rest of the developing world in relation to fields such as natural medicine, it becomes clear that it is not an idea that knowledge from the non-western world can influence the west (Mazrui 1997:410). Before exploring the scope of the possible African contribution to the understanding of international relations, it is important to clarify what is meant by African, in this context who can speak on behalf of Africa. This has been a question which many scholars have struggled with and consensus on the issue remains elusive
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Colonies do not have power over themselves, and the mother country takes resources and money from the colonies. Large numbers of people were forced to slavery. Expert of western values, colonial parents brought their way of living and Africans did not have a say as they were seen as people who could not speak for themselves
During the era of colonialism part of the colonial project was portraying Africans as unable to speak for themselves. During the struggle for independence and the subsequent gaining of sovereignty Africans voices were heard. Some like Boele van Hensbroek, note that this changed again in the 1970’s and 1980’s onwards, when the new political situation came in Africa and it increased the influence of external actors through, for example, the foreign aid “changed the ideas of who could speak on the behalf of Africa. In addition, as the speaker changed so did the words (1999:168).
EFFECTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL
As the population was growing bigger the colonies seemed to be getting bigger and stronger. The were even big enough to make their own coutry. But yet the still didnt have the power they deserved. They should have had more power over them selves then they actually did have. Then the british decided they wanted to tax the colonist now.
The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries can be regarded as the height of European New Imperialism. This movement can be regarded as the time when an insatiable European need for more land and colonies occurred, and the time when European intrigue with owning more than the motherland was present. The New Imperialistic actions of the European states arose after the World, to the extent that concerned the European interests, had been reasonably chartered and understood by the expenditures taken by the Europeans in the Age of Discovery. In a sense, once the European knew what was there, they wanted to own it and claim it as there own. Once the Cape of Good Hope had been passed, and the shores of Africa were chartered and recognized, the Europeans began to claim Africa to fulfill their thirst for more, as their initial desires for knowledge had been fulfilled.
Amadou Hampaté Bâ is extremely detailed throughout the book, The Fortunes of Wangrin, in explaining the colonial world in West African societies. He provides multiple examples in this work of fiction that precisely describe the factual aspects of African colonialism that we have discussed in class. I will point out a few of the examples that Bâ uses such as: limitations colonial governments set on Africans, the Métis relationships within colonies, and issues that arose, not only between Europeans and Africans, but within the native African communities as well. I will then point out certain details from the book that do not perfectly reflect the components of colonialism that we have studied in lecture.
No taxation without representation during 1763 led to significant changes in the American government; under such movements the thirteen colonies and British Parliament were involved. Such challenges have shaped our American Republic and have impacted our history. The thirteen colonies were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. In previous years many challenges, battles, and disagreements were faced to transform the thirteen British colonies.
You get to read about these realizations in document 5 and 6. In document 5 David Diop realized that his race wasn’t being treated with respect and he was being treated unfairly. In document 6 the African nationalist noticed that the colonies made themselves think they were doing wrong and twisted their minds to think that the right thing was to give it to the colonialism. Becoming more independent and aware of what the colonist was doing they were able to pull themselves up and have minds of their
Colonialism /kəˈlōnēəˌlizəm/ is the policy or practicing of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. Colonization dehumanizes both the colonized and colonizer and becomes a means of “civilizing” the colonized as a justification for colonization. Former Pan-Africanist, W.E.B. Du Bois and Walter Rodney are important figures to analyze when discussing colonialism. Even though both men had different perspectives of colonialism, their ideas work hand and hand. Rodney looked at colonialism from an economic standpoint and believed colonialization made African persons invisible, and stripped them of civilization which eventually cause the underdevelopment that exist
So Europe invaded Africa, took possession of Africa, and divided Africa into colonies of Europe. The period of invasion, lasting some twenty years, was more or less completed by 1900. There followed a longer period, between sixty and ninety years, of direct European rule, called colonial rule. This was a time of profound upheaval for all of Africa’s peoples. It brought irreversible changes” (4).
In the race of European imperialism, European countries dominated innocent African colonies. The driving force behind this? Africa’s bountiful resources. Before Africa’s colonization, the European presence in Africa was extremely limited, mainly due to lack of exploration and diseases (Background Essay). However, this changed as European prominence became largely influential through the discovery of Africa’s resource rich lands.
There have been various perceptions concerning the history of Africa, and some of these have portrayed Africa in more negative than positive ways. In an attempt to examine the historical aspect of Africa through various lenses, this essay presents an analysis of evidence that have been brought forth towards understanding Africa’s role in world history, as well as reasons and lessons from the negative portrayal of Africa. The history of Africa has been viewed and understood through a variety of lenses in the past few hundred years. To begin with, the origin of the name Africa in itself has drawn a number of controversies that stem from the different perspectives through which the name has been examined.
In The Legacy, Basil Davidson discusses the legacies of colonialism in Africa and gives an insight on modern Africa and the successes and downfalls that it possesses. Moreover, he states that many of the issues seen in modern day Africa are not new and have their roots in the long years of European colonialism that profoundly shaped and continues to shape the continent. Throughout the documentary, various themes regarding postcolonial Africa are mentioned in depth. A few of the themes that Davidson highlights are modernization, ethnicism, corruption, inequality, dictatorship, and neocolonialism.
Colonialism integrated Africa into international labor division. Colonialism is when a country or state overpower a particular state by a use of propaganda for them to agree with their terms without the targeted state or country saying anything to the above-mentioned terms (Ocheni & Basil, 2012). Colonialism in Africa refers to the incident which took place during the 1800-1960s where European states came into Africa and exploit resources. This essay will validate the effects of colonialism in Africa and how it affected the economy of Africa states which led them to be in the current economic state, furthermore, it will outline how colonizers used their colonial methods to get Africans to change their indigenous ways of doing things.
national politics Adam Watson’s Evolution of International Society gave a new dimension in the understanding of international relations (IR). He deeply studied comparatively the formation of international society and political community of the past which has evolved into the modern world system in his ‘Evolution of International Society’. Unlike Kenneth Waltz views of anarchy as the only system in IR, Watson says there are two systems viz. anarchy and hierarchy. In between these systems is the hegemony which defines the contemporary IR.
Constructivists reject such a one-sided material focus. They argue that the most important aspect of international relations is social, not material. Constructivists have demonstrated that ‘ideas matter’ in international relations. They have shown that culture and identity help define the interests and constitute the actors in IR. All students of IR should be familiar with the important debates raised by constructivists, about basic social theory and about the different ways in which ideas can matter in international relations.
As the famous saying goes, “The strong do what they will while the weak do what they must," so let it be with the counties of the world and the role they play in International Politics. Eurocentrism is a concept that places Europe at the centre of the world. Assuming that it is self containing and self representing, the entire world is looked at with Europe at the centre. Eurocentrism bias leads to an illogical understanding of International Relations and makes politics and judgement to incline in the favour of the powerful. In this essay, I will critique the Eurocentric nature of International Relations theory and world politics.