Former colonial country which has been liberated in the last 50 years

Former colonial country which has been liberated in the last 50 years

Introduction

Colonialism is a system that concerns the settlement of one group or nationality in a new geographical location. Often frequently confused with imperialism, colonialism is in fact a separate practice that results from the ideology of imperialism. The latter can involve political control of lands and peoples; however, it does not require settlement for its successful operation. Colonialism was undeniably linked to profit, economics, and material gain. Therefore Elleke Boehmer maintains that colonialism is “the settlement of territory, the exploitation or development of resources, and the attempt to govern the indigenous inhabitants of occupied lands”. The practice of colonialism, while pursued throughout the ages and in varying countries (the colonization of Ireland in the twelfth century by the Anglo-Normans, the Spanish and the Portuguese in their exploration of the Americas in the fifteenth century), actually reached a high point in the nineteenth century with the Scramble for Africa: a dispute centering on which European countries had most claim on African territory. This paper critically assesses former colonial country Egypt which has been liberated in the last 50 years

Discussion

Egypt entered the global age as a territorial possession of a declining Ottoman Empire and an important regional player in an emerging world system dominated by Western powers. This new world system was the result of historical forces that had transformed Europe into the center of modern science, technology, commerce, and politics. Other regions were integrated into this new system as “the periphery” and compelled—either through force, self-interest, or both—to accommodate to Western-style modernity. This asymmetric power arrangement gave rise to European colonialism, which deeply affected much of the Muslim world. In Egypt, Ottoman authorities, starting in the early 19th century, welcomed British advisors and investors to help invigorate the economy and revamp social institutions. By the end of the century, Egypt had witnessed dramatic social and economic changes, but it had also accumulated a significant debt. The British, following a pattern of colonial insertion first begun in India, took control of Egypt to ensure their financial interests and to further exploit the country's resources. Their colonial presence would not end until the mid-20th century, after a tide of nationalism swept through the country.

While religion was not at the forefront of the new world system, it did infuse the cultural undercurrents of modernity, modernization, and colonialism. At the historic center of this system, the British viewed their culture, including Christianity, as essential to their modern success and as superior to the native cultures and religions over which they ruled as a colonial power. In fact, Christian missionary activity was part of the colonial enterprise—an attempt on the part of the British to transmit not just the material blessings of modernity but its cultural sources as well. For Egyptians, the interpretive link between modernity and religion, and Islam in particular, proved more ambiguous because the social transformations within their country had a foreign ...