RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIES OF COLONIAL EXTRACTION AND THE GENDERED NATURE OF POLITICS, ECONOMY, AND VIOLENCE IN DIFFERENT SOCIETIES OF THE AFRICAN TERRITORY DURING THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIES OF COLONIAL EXTRACTION AND THE GENDERED NATURE OF POLITICS, ECONOMY, AND VIOLENCE IN DIFFERENT SOCIETIES OF THE AFRICAN TERRITORY
First of all, it is essential to define colonialism. It is the establishment and maintenance for the durable timeframe of the rule over the alien people. Such rule is not interrelated with the subordination to the ruling power. Among the major traits of the colonial situation, it is possible to outline the following –assertion of the cultural and racial superiority over the initial majority of the indigenous population as well as the dominative power of the foreigner minorities etc.
This paper would represent the set of the examples of the effect, made by the economies of colonial extraction on the set of societies (Congo, Kenya and Tanganyika), inhabiting the territory of Africa in the timeframe of the 19th and the 20th centuries (in terms of their gendered nature of politics, economy, and different violence in relation to the local population).
For example, Nancy Rose refers to the compelling scenes where the resources have been provided to the groups of the rape victims – for planting the new gardens, getting the options for safe working and living and growing the nourishing food. At the same time, it is possible to trace the disconcerting representation of the women and girls, who were involved into the Caritas Catholic project – as they were actively engaged into the hand making activities - such as sewing. The option of capital generation is suggested by the sewing machines, and thus such women and girls were provided with the possibility of gaining skills for earning money. As the time has passed, the machines disappeared and all the operations are transferred into the form of handmade works - when rows of ladies were engaged into the processes of learning the way, they should furthermore embroider with thread, needle, as well as circular embroidery frame.
Such image of the training scenes of the Belgian colonial domesticity represents the following image of the Congolese woman – they were the helpmeet, homemaker and well as needy and dependent obedient wife. From the historical pint of view it is essential to note that the colonial “ruination”, practiced by Belgian colonists in Congo should not be forgotten - as the human right’s violation has taken its place from the perspective of gender differentiation.
In the African context, the critically important aspect of life for the numerous “tribes” within each particular colony, was their ability to provide the background for the national consciousness within the nation-state, created by these people. The rapid popularization of the ethno-cultural identities has led to the disintegration and recalling of the traditional forms of the tribalism in such manner that the significant thetas were posed both to the process of nation-building and to the modernization.
One more case, which would be assessed in this paper, is the presence of Europeans and Asians in Kenya – as the distinctive cultural communities, which have requested the protection of their communal rights and created the set of the barriers for the African cultural identities or forms in terms of being engaged into the political development process. The core determining factorfor inclusion of the Africans into the dominant class, which consisted of multiple races, was their adherence to the European lifestyle, culture and possessing the educational degree from the European educational establishment. It was assumed by the officials that the assimilation of the local population to the dominating European culture was one of the major purposes of the African population as well as it was a critically essential pre-condition for the common Kenyan nationality’ emergence.
The last issue to be considered in this paper is the impact, made by the economies of colonial extraction on the population of Maji Maji. The core emphasis in this case was put on the effect, which was done by the especially flagrant abuses of German colonists. This historical aspect was interpreted by the British colonialists as the rebellion, which is mainly oriented on the justification of their own rule and regime in the territory of Tanganyika. The core task at this stage was the representation of the Germany as the unworthy of colonies, at the same time, no one has stated that there is no need for colonialism in Tanganyika. The major emphasis of the British accounts of Maji Maji was put on the need of using the water medicine as well as other achievements of the technological medical and scientific development. That is why, the African resisters in this case were represented as ill-prepared people for having the self-rule.
Bibliography
Berman, B.J. Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Modernity: The Paradox of Mau Mau. Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne des Études Africaines, Vol. 25, No. 2 (1991), pp. 181-206
Hunt, Nancy Rose. An acoustic register, tenacious images, and congolese scenes of rape and repetition. Cultural Anthropology; May 2008; 23, 2; ProQuest pg. 220
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Colonialism. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Colonialism.aspx>
Sunseri, T. Statist Narratives and Maji Maji Ellipses. The International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 33, No. 3 (2000), pp. 567-584