Childs Post-Colonial Theory

 The article Post- Colonial Theory discusses the end of the European colonial empire. "The dismantling of the structures of colonial control, beginning in earnest in the late 1950s and reaching its high point in the 1960s, constituted a remarkable historical moment." ( Childs 1) This is the point in history where countries started to gain independence and their freedom from the colonizing world powers. A colonizing power at one time may have only been a colony. The United States was at one time a colony but is now a world power, along with Latin America. "We use the term 'post-colonial', however, to cover all the culture affected by the imperial process from the moment of colonization to the present day". (Childs 3) Postcolonialism is more than just the large European colonial empires such as the British, French, Dutch, Spanish,  it is also more present-day post-colonial movements such as India and Cuba. So where does did post-colonialism take place? In the 1800s the Western powers said they ruled approximately 55% of the earth's surface. In reality, they only controlled 35% of the earth surface. " By 1887 the proportion was 67%, a rate of an increase of 83,000 square miles per year. By 1914, the annual rate had risen to an astonishing 240,000 square miles, and Europe held a grand total of 85% of the earth as colonies, protectorates, dependencies, dominations, and commonwealths"(Childs 10). Europe held most of the world powers during much of 1800, and 1900s. There has yet to be a set of colonies that was this large and in power. 

Comments

  1. Kayley NegastAugust 21, 2020 at 12:50 PM

    What surprised me was how I never realized how the term "post-colonial" was such a generic categorization. I thought it was an era that had set dates it started and finished, but this article made me open my eyes to how this era was different for all countries and cultures.

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