Colonisation Essay
Mahala Banerjee
Colonisation essay
3/25/15
Throughout world history, nations have been conquering other groups of people in order to gain land and power. Colonisation may be viewed by some as beneficial to a society, as it often introduces modern ideas and technology. Others see colonisation as destructive to a culture. Although colonisation certainly has its benefits, societies should be left to develop on their own, free of force. The advantages of colonisation should not be ignored. As one group of people takes over another, they tend to bring modern scientific ideas and technological advancements. One can see examples of this throughout history in European conquests of African countries. The Europeans had weapons, such as firearms, which were significantly more powerful and advanced than anything that the Africans owned at the time. Scientific and technological advances brought by colonisation can improve a society by keeping them up to date with the modern world. Despite all of the advantages, however, colonisation has proven to be ruinous to many cultures. As European colonisers arrived in African tribal communities, they often brought Christianity and forced the Africans to convert, destroying traditional religion. European colonisers also banned certain traditional practices. In the case of the Yoruba people in Nigeria, the practices of polygamy and burying the dead within the home were banned. These practices were important to the Yoruba society and colonisation has negatively impacted the richness of Yoruba culture. It is arguable that a society should be left to develop on its own without colonial influence. If a group of people that only has simple technology is suddenly exposed to powerful weapons such as guns, accidents could happen as a result of ignorance to how those weapons work. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo accidentally shoots a young man due to this very issue. It is generally a bad idea to abruptly introduce technology to a society that
Colonisation essay
3/25/15
Throughout world history, nations have been conquering other groups of people in order to gain land and power. Colonisation may be viewed by some as beneficial to a society, as it often introduces modern ideas and technology. Others see colonisation as destructive to a culture. Although colonisation certainly has its benefits, societies should be left to develop on their own, free of force. The advantages of colonisation should not be ignored. As one group of people takes over another, they tend to bring modern scientific ideas and technological advancements. One can see examples of this throughout history in European conquests of African countries. The Europeans had weapons, such as firearms, which were significantly more powerful and advanced than anything that the Africans owned at the time. Scientific and technological advances brought by colonisation can improve a society by keeping them up to date with the modern world. Despite all of the advantages, however, colonisation has proven to be ruinous to many cultures. As European colonisers arrived in African tribal communities, they often brought Christianity and forced the Africans to convert, destroying traditional religion. European colonisers also banned certain traditional practices. In the case of the Yoruba people in Nigeria, the practices of polygamy and burying the dead within the home were banned. These practices were important to the Yoruba society and colonisation has negatively impacted the richness of Yoruba culture. It is arguable that a society should be left to develop on its own without colonial influence. If a group of people that only has simple technology is suddenly exposed to powerful weapons such as guns, accidents could happen as a result of ignorance to how those weapons work. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo accidentally shoots a young man due to this very issue. It is generally a bad idea to abruptly introduce technology to a society that