History 506:364
Colonialism to Globalization
Fall 2005
Class Session Outlines

Below are broad outlines for class sessions of Colonialism to Globalization. Outlines will appear on this site a day or two before each class session; they will remain on the site for the semester. I intend for these very broad outlines to help you begin thinking about the issues that we will cover in class. (Or, if you miss class, give you some indication of what you miss.) You should not rely on these outlines as exhaustive descriptions for classes. And you should, especially, not rely on them as a substitute for class attendance. Depending on how any class session actually progresses, we may not cover the issues in the order that they appear; and we may use different words and phrases to cover the concepts.

Go to Class Syllabus

12 December

            Final essay – Questions & instructions

Conclulsion

Chronological delineation of “regimes”

  • Colonial expansion – 1st & 2nd periods
  • Cold War
  • Globalization

Realms of influence

  • Political
    • Outside control
    • Nation formation
  • Economic
  • Cultural

Similarities

Differences

 

7 December

Global? Third World?

  • Has the concept of “third world” changed with the expansion of “globalization” at the end of the twentieth century?
  • Is the concept still valid?
  • How has your thinking about “globalization” changed over during the semester?

 

Social Conflict, Economic Development & Justice

in a Global Economy:

5 December

Class discussion on Personal Realities of life in globalized world, as seen from a “peripheral” country.

 

30 November

Environment, the Commodity Lottery Indigenous Populations, and Globalization

Small group discussions. Read Savages.

 

28 November

Ken Saro –Wiwa

            Because of equipment failure in the classroom, I have posted the powerpoint presentation that, otherwise, would have accompanied the class.

Click here to see it.

 

Saro-Wiwa: Executed by Nigerian govt, Nov 1995 for murder

Multi-pronged [inter-related] story:

·        Colonialism & Nigerian federalism

·        Ethnicity

·        Limits of self-determination

·        Re-allocation of oil wealth

Continuation of many themes from colonial & independence periods

·        Similarities

·        Differences

 

21November

Transnational Corporations and the Third World, in a Globalized Era

Small group discussions

 

9-16 November

Globalization and the Third World

 

16 November:

The United States & Globalization

·        According to the chapter “American Globalism: Mass, Motion and the Multiplier Effect”

How is the history of US perspectives on globalization related to the history of the United States?

Globalization and colonialism

            Similarities

            Differences

Globalization

·        Defined

·        Supra-territoriality

·        End of Cold War

The State

·        Role of the State

·        State activities

Economy

·        What is globalized economy?

·        Experiences of third world

Culture

·        Examples

·        Popular reactions

“New” issues in globalized world

Historical continuities & discontinuities

·        Comparisons with colonial systems and with experiences of articulating the third world

·        Speed?

 

31 October-7 November

Personal Realities in the Third World

Peru’s Shining Path

Nature of the Shining Path movement

Social rebellion

Historical background

Violence

Attraction for women

Why Peru?

 

Dictatorships

Film: Capital Sins

Discussion

 

26 October

The Third World and the Cold War

Clientelism

Proxy Wars

Third World countries use of superpowers

  • Military conflict
  • Economic aid

Nigerian example

  • Ideological alignments
  • Civil War
  • Oil
  • Inter-African affairs

 

24 October

Emergence of the 3rd World

Post World War II

Conjunction between

·        Anti-colonialism and nationalism

·        Nationalism and internationalism

Cold War

Non-Alignment

Developmentalism

 

19 October

Mid-term essay review

Bring any questions that you have about your mid-term essay to class.

 

            Class does not meet on 17 October,

 

10-12 October

Nation Formation

The Dispossessed

Nation formation: the Biafran Civil War

Regions

Chronology of the civil war

Conflicting positions

What was at stake?

·        Self-determination

·        Economic resources

What was the civil war for its participants?

 

[10 October – no preparatory reading; 12 October – read Sunset in Biafra]

The opposite of coffee’s dynamism: Uprising in Canudos, Brazil

The Uprising: 1893-1897

  • Uprising of poor, landless Brazilian
  • Army to control domestic discontent

·        Army’s skills

·        Massacre of citizens

Impact on Brazilians – galvanizing

·        National identity

  • Material modernity
  • Contrast with cities & coffee
  • Race

 

5October

Personal Realities

No Longer At Ease: be prepared to participate in small group discussion of the novel.

 

26 September-3 October: Independence

3 October

Economic Independence?

19th Century Global Economies

·        The Commodity Lottery

·        Guano – Peru

o       Wealth

o       Social & political effects

o       Outcome

·        Coffee – Brazil

o       Wealth

o       Social & political effects

o       Industry

o       “Brazilian-ness”

 

26-28 September

Political independence

Read the article on Peru for 26 Sept., and the article on Nigeria for 28 Sept.

Read the articles on guano and coffee (“economic independence”) for 3 Oct.

 

Independence

 

Nationalism & Liberalism

Chaotic

Motivations for Independence, deriving from:

·        Europe

·        Colonies

 

Peru

Wars of Independence, 1810-1824

·        Continent-wide

In Spain

In Peru

·        Colonizers

·        Indigenous population

Declaring independence

 

Nigeria

Role of World War II in establishing independence

1945-60 Increasing self-rule

1960 Independence

Local, grass-roots political organization

Federalism & nationalism

 

 

19-21 September

Empire & Colony

 

21 September: discussion groups on the readings by Concolocorvo and Morley

            bring these readings to class with you

 

Phases of early European colonial expansion

  • 1st expansion: 15-17th centuries
  • 2nd expansion: 19th century

Differences

  • Technology
  • European political economy
  • Cultures – of colonizers & of indigenous populations

Similarities

  • Intentions & origins of colonial enterprise
  • Dynamics of local governments
  • Defining principles of cultural and personal contact
    • Race
    • Religion
    • Language

 

14 September

Definitions

 

Hopkins’ catalog of “globalizations”

  • Archaic
  • Proto-globalization
  • Modern globalization
  • Post-colonial globalization

What do these terms mean; how do they compare with Hopkins’ terms?

How are they similar; how do they differ?

When do the concepts prevail?

Do the terms matter?

 

12 September

Film: How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman

Question:  After watching the film, write a short thought-piece (a few paragraphs)on the following question:

One of the main themes that we will develop through the semester is the way in which global interactions of peoples, for purposes of enrichment, has led to both conflict and blending of cultures. How is this theme represented in How Tasty My Little Frenchman? 

You will hand this in at the beginning of class on Wednesday 14 September.

 

7 September

Introduction

Description of class

  • Topics and issues
  • Student assignments
  • Administrative arrangements