Introduction to Anthropology Dr Stevan R Jackson Chapter 14 The World System and Colonialism Globalization and the Culture of Capitalism Colonialism Imperialism policy of extending rule of a nation or empire over other nations Colonialism political social economic and cultural domination of a territory and its people by a foreign power Colonialism European colonialism had two phases Age of Discovery 1492 1852 1850 to just after end of World War II Dominated by Britain and France Colonization 1754 Colonization 1898 Colonization 1945 British Colonialism British empire covered fifth of world s land surface and ruled fourth of its population Driven by need for economic expansion First phase concentrated in the New World west Africa and India Closed with American Revolution British Colonialism During the second period of colonialism Britain eventually controlled most of Ireland Scotland India Australia New Zealand Canada and large portions of eastern and southern Africa British colonial efforts were justified by what Rudyard Kipling called white man s burden Began to fall apart after W W II Map of the British Empire in 1765 and1914 French Colonialism French colonialism driven by state church and military rather than by business interests First phase starting in early 1600s focused in Canada the Louisiana Territory the Caribbean and parts of India Second phase 1870 to W W II included most of North Africa and Indochina French Colonialism Ideological legitimization for French colonialism was mission civilisatrice similar to white man s burden Spread French culture language and religion throughout the colonies French used two forms of colonial rule Indirect rule practice of governing through native political structures and leaders Direct rule practice of imposing new governments upon native populations Map of the French Empire at Its Height Around 1914 The Emergence of the World System World system and relations among the countries shaped by capitalist world economy Capitalist world economy world system whose goal is the production for sale or exchange for maximizing profits World system theory social system based on wealth and power differences that goes beyond countries The Emergence of the World System Immanuel Wallerstein countries within world system occupy three positions Core dominant position nations with advanced system of production Semi periphery industrialized but firmly in the middle economically Periphery world s least privilege and powerful nations World Systems Analysis at the Beginning of the 21st Century Ascent and Decline of Nations within the World System The Emergence of the World System By the 15th century Europeans developed tradeoriented economy People worldwide had entered Europe s sphere of influence Europeans extracted silver and gold Conquered the natives Colonized their lands Previously rural people produced mainly for their own needs The World System Today Industrialization Industrial Revolution historic transformation in Europe after 1750 of traditional into modern societies through industrialization of the economy European industrialization developed from domestic system of manufacture Causes of the Industrial Revolution Began with cotton products iron and pottery Widely used goods whose manufacture could be broken down into simple routines Began in England France did not have to transform manufacturing system to increase production because of larger labor force Causes of the Industrial Revolution Britain s population began to increase with industrialization Demographic explosion fueled consumption and fostered innovation Drew on advantages in natural resources Particular cultural values and religion contributed to industrialization Socioeconomic Effects of Industrialization At first industrialization in England raised the overall standard of living Factory owners soon began to recruit cheap labor from among the poorest populations Social ills worsened with growth of factory towns and industrial cities Industrial Stratification Karl Marx Class consciousness recognition of collective interests and personal identification with one s economic group Viewed classes a powerful collective forces that could mobilize human energies to influence history Industrial Stratification Karl Marx and Max Weber focused on stratification systems associated with industrialization Marx saw socioeconomic stratification as a sharp division between two opposed classes Bourgeoisie owned the means of production Working class proletariat people who had to sell their labor to survive Proletarianization the separation of workers from the means of production Industrial Stratification Max Weber faulted Karl Marx for an overly simple and exclusively economic view Three dimensions of social stratification Wealth economic status Power political status Prestige social status Industrial Stratification These are separate components of social ranking and tend to be correlated Social identities based on ethnicity religion race nationality and other attributes can take priority over class Industrial Stratification Lenski social equality tends to increase in advanced industrial societies Proliferation of middle class occupations creates opportunities for social mobility Differences in income and wealth that set off richest from poorest Americans is widening Great Recession of December 2007 June 2009 increased inequality Stratification With modification combination of Marxian and Weberian models can describe modern capitalist world Growing middle class and existence of peripheries within core nations complicate issue beyond the vision of Marx or Weber STRATIFICATION Wealth that flows from periphery and semiperiphery to core helped core capitalists maintain their profits while satisfying demands of core workers Current world stratification system features substantial contrast between capitalists and workers in core nations and workers on the periphery Colonialism and Identity Entire countries along with social groups and divisions within them were colonial inventions Many modern political boundaries in west Africa based on linguistic political and economic contrasts as result of European colonial policies Postcolonial Studies Postcolonial study of interactions between European nations and the societies they colonized Settler countries large numbers of European colonists and sparser native populations Nonsettler postcolonies large native populations and only a small number of Europeans Mixed