Chapter 2 - Understanding Colonialism
•What is Colonialism?
•What is Imperialism?
Colonialism is…….
• The establishment and maintenance for an extended time, of
rule over an alien people that is separate and subordinate to
the ruling power - King (1976)

The policy or practice of acquiring political control
over another country, occupying it with settlers, and
exploiting it economically. – Oxford Dictionary (1999)

The establishment of domination of a geographically
extended political unit, most often inhabited by people of a
different race and culture, where this domination is political
and economic and the colony exists subordinated to and
dependent on the mother country.- Blauer
Colonialism is…….
• Colonialism is often defined as a system of
government, which seeks to defend an unequal
system of commodity exchange – Corbridge
(1993).

Said (1979) maintains that colonialism exited
in order to impose the superiority of the European
way of life on that of the Oriental, a colonization
of minds and bodies as much as that of space and
economies and ‘much harder to transcend or throw
off’.
Imperialism is…….
• Some Definitions of Imperialism:
• ‘A policy of extending a country’s power and influence
through colonization, use of military force, or other means’
(Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1999)
• The above definition leads to discrepancies in the
chronology of imperialism. For example,
• Maxist (Leninist) analysts believe that this monopoly stage
of capitalism only began around the start of the twentieth
century (Bell 1980)
• Another more broadly reaching definition is,
• ‘both formal colonies and privileged positions in markets,
protected sources of materials and extended opportunities
for profitable employment of labour’ (Barratt-Brown, 1974:
22)
Principal Processes of Colonialism
Phases of Colonialism and Imperialism
Spanish and Portuguese Colonialism
Spanish and Portuguese Colonialism
Mercantile Colonialism – Plantation
System and Forced Labor
Mercantile Colonialism – The
Plantation System and Forced Labor
Mercantile Colonialism – Intensified Trade
Links
• By the mid 1700s, Europeans were trading with
Asia and coastal Africa without settlement
• In Asia, Europeans traded and resided in
intermediary ports such as Macau
Mercantile Colonialism – Intensified Trade
Links
• Non Europeans were
regarded as cultural
equals
• No extensive colonial
settlements in
Asia/Africa
• No dominantsubordinate
relationship yet
Mercantile Colonialism – Intensified Trade
Links
• Trade in Asia and Africa
began to expand.
• European Trading
Companies began to
systematically organize it
• Increased European
presence, and
involvement in local
politics