“Ever Since I remember, I have felt that I belonged to both the worlds with out being completely of either one or the other” Edward Saeed.
Said, explained the different phases of imperialism in his book “culture and imperialism”. Said’s book also focuses on how power and ideology work both consciously and unconsciously to form and maintain a system of domination that goes beyond military force. Said, historically proved that how the west has negatively conceptualized the “other”, justifying its obligation to rule.
It’s interesting to observe how the popular imperial notion of “educating the uncivilized” was created to further destroy the culture and civilization of the underdeveloped nations perhaps to create the concept of “superior” culture. So the connection of culture and the conquests of the time works created by the oppressed people are also heavily affected by imperialism.
Said, defines imperialism as
“Thinking about settling on, controlling land that you do not possess that is distant, that is lived on and owned by others”
The idea of bringing civilization to barbaric people, of punishment or death when they misbehave or rebel because they only understand violence is quite clear in these discourses. Edward Saeed lays bare the dialectic between the “culture of imperialism” and the culture of resistance.
According to Saeed, the religion also played the role of strengthening the imperialism. The new imperial religion or belief system destroyed the local beliefs, customs and traditions in the various dominions or protectorates and not only projected itself superior but t promoted new cultural imperialism and hegemony.
Through financial loans imperialist forces still controls the internal and external policies of developing economies. The global mass media also promoted the new imperialism in war times or in the global economic crisis
Edward Saeed has very strong observations of brutalities of imperialism in Africa, Asia, Latin America and India. Imperialism can be divided in three categories political imperialism, economic imperialism and cultural imperialism. Political imperialism believes in political domination and economic imperialism focuses on plundering of economic resources and cultural imperialism means colonialization of culture and civilization of the underdeveloped dominions or protectorates.
Edward Saeed further revealed some of the colonial literature as well which also supports the imperialist designs or agenda of brutality and occupation of the natives and clearly illustrated that “India existed to be ruled by England” or “with out England India will disappear” or “Inferior or subject races requires domination”.
Said, at the same time not only commented but appreciated the great literary work of joseph Conrad (Heart of Darkness) and Jean Austens’s novel (Mansfield park) and Chinua achebe work (things, fall a part) in which these critics not only exposed the tyranny of imperialism but exposed the true picture of imperialism to the whole civilized world. In “Heart of Darkness” Joseph Conrad beautifully wrote
“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing which you look in to it too much”
Even in 2019, it’s still interesting to explore how empires prepare for a coloristic culture through their adoption of imperialist ideas. Saids, emphasis on the connection of culture and the conquests of the time seems very interesting and still very much relevant in the new world order.
The French occupation of Algeria is an example to “civilize the natives” in the form of tyranny and exploitation of the natives. Said, has beautifully disclosed the imperialist designs of conquering weak states or less powerful countries in historical perspective in different phases. He beautifully narrates the imperialist designs of acquisition of political power led to cultural domination and then economic domination as well.
The clear example in ancient times is Guptans period in India and especially in Roman Empire when Alexander clearly showed his imperialist designs when he led his forces close to the Indian borders.
Economic imperialism in fact created colonialism which actually means the plundering of economic resources or raw material from the dominions or protectorates. Economic imperialism tried to justify itself by acquiring political power through cultural imperialism.
Infact through said, we also observe the historic white settlements in American and Australian continent and marginalization of indigenous people through cultural imperialism. In African continent we can observe how imperial powers forced indigenous people into slaves for the support of capitalism or for the support of capital market.
In Asian continent the imperialist spent many years and we can see how cleverly they institutionalize or justify their imperialism which led towards their industrial progress. In other words, works created by oppressed people are also heavily affected by imperialism.
While commenting on “Edward said” Noam Chomasky commented that we should act as moral agents not servants of power. But in present “international state system” the various entities or identities are still playing the role of servants of new imperialist power or servants of new sole master perhaps they have not created the foreign policy choices for themselves or perhaps due to domestic corruption or poor governance.
Saeed, has made a great historic connection or relevance of imperialism with the modern new imperialism as well and his narration of “imperialism” is still relevant in the modern era as well.
In 16th century and onwards we also observes how mass media became one of the agency through which cultural imperialism has been promoted. After 2nd wold war imperialism forms a new economic world order to further exploited the developing economies.
Now the new present economic imperialism has evolved a new global economic structure of “domination and subordination” by creating new international financial institutions which only promotes unequal trade.
This new world order has already promoted the idea of “development of an underdevelopment”. International financial institutions are in fact the tools of new imperialism to further exploit the developing economies.
Through financial loans imperialist forces still controls the internal and external policies of developing economies. The global mass media also promoted the new imperialism in war times or in the global economic crisis. In gulf wars the imperial media only presented the one sided stories of their own choices. So the dream of one global culture of peace, tolerance and harmony is still a head.
The writer is Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, FC College University