Introduction

Culture and imperialism is a collections of essays written by the founder of

the field postcolonial studies Edward Said. It was published in 1993. Through
this book Edward Said described a general pattern of relationship between
modern metropolitan west and its overseas territories.This term paper is divided
into two parts: the first part is theoretical. It is the outcome of a general research
done about culture and imperialism in postcolonial literature. It consists of four
chapters: the first chapter is about the relationship between culture an
imperialism, the second unfolds the real objectives of imperialism. The third is
about how colonies dealt with imperialism. The last chapter tackles the impact
of imperialism on culture.

The second part is practical because it will focus on Edward Said’s book
Culture and imperialism. It is an illustration of what has been dealt with in the
first part of this term paper.

Part one: culture and imperialism in postcolonial African Literature

African countries has gone through European imperialist aggression,

diplomatic pressures, military invasions, and eventual conquest and
colonization. As an illustration the African Literature can be defined as “ the body
of traditional oral and written literatures in Afro-Asiatic and African languages
together with works written by Africans in European languages”. Encyclopedia
Britannica” The African literature was also a way of resistance in the period of
colonialism. The writers saw themselves as both artists and political activists.
the African continent generally resisted against the imperialist power
but there attempts were in vain. The first chapter will illustrate the
relationship between culture and imperialism.
First chapter: The relationship between culture and imperialism

It was hard if not impossible for the imperialist power to conquer

any land without controlling the people’s minds before using the military forces.
As it is stated in the book titled “ From The European Enlightenment to the
1
global present” ”Economic and political control of a people can never be
complete without cultural control” . Accordingly, Imperialism acquires a kind
of coherence and a presence of ruler and ruled alike within the culture. That is
why all the preparation to rule a territory are made within a culture. It was
difficult for imperials but effective way to occupy the African ideology to
change their perspective toward their culture and lifestyle in general. For this
reason, the preparation for colonialism took deferent forms.

That means that the relationship between culture and imperialism can be defined
in a way in which culture can be seen as a clever but long way through which
imperialism could control all the lands.

Second chapter: The real objectives of imperialism

The Imperialist power claimed that their main objective behind

controlling the African territories is to civilize the peoples and change their
inferior culture with a successful one. Since the imperial conquest believed that
their race is superior to others. By the same token, social Darwinism declares
that it was only natural for them as the white race, dominant race, to conquer the
inferior people as a nature way of civilizing the mankind. But in fact, imperialism
has taken civilization as a dirty to reach its real objectives among which:

1From the European Enlightenment to the global Present by David Damrosch, Natalie Melas &
Mbongiseni Buthelezi page 291 published by Princeton University press 2009
 Economic Objectives :

Economics is considered the basic engine of the world for this reason the
imperial exploited the Natural fortunes of the African continent be it the Marine
or internal fortunes. Which means that the economical objective is the main and
an unobserved objective of imperialism.

2
“Economic expansion demanded cheap labor, access to or
control of markets to sell or buy products, and natural
resources such as precious metals and land; governments
have met these demands by hook (tribute) or by crook
(plunder).”

Imperialism exploited the African continent for several decades extracting its
natural fortunes which boded ill for the future inhabitants of the exploited
countries.

Political objectives:

national pride, prestige and security spurred the imperials to expand

and compete each other for supremacy. Most of the Imperials set up a new
governor allied the them instead of the first one to make it easy for them to do
their mission.

3
“ Many people were also convinced that the possession of colonies was an
indication of a nation’s greatness; colonies were status symbols. According to

2
http://webs.bcp.org/sites/vcleary/modernworldhistorytextbook/imperialism/section_2/motives.html
3
AP Eropean History by Michael J. Romano, Wiley Publishing, INC 2010
nineteenth-century German historian, Heinrich von Treitschke, all great nations
should want to conquer barbarian nations.” . Michael J. Romano p 146”

That means that The race for territory was a race for political power. In other
words the More you colonize the stronger you get politically. For instance;
Great Britain and France were considered the most powerful colonies because
they settled more than 85 percent of the Earth.

Religious objectives:

the imperial power believed that their religion is superior and it is the
true one. That is why they aimed at spreading it. Missionaries also supported
the idea, because they believe that European control is the only by which they can
spread their true religion which is Christianity. They established churches in the
colonized territories to spread not only their religion but also the European lifestyle in
general.

“4They found it upon themselves to bring us their three Cs: Commerce,

Civilization and Christianity. The last was the most harmful because in the
words of Pathisa Nyathi, ‘Christianity is a proselytizing religion’, it asks you to
denounce who you are and assume a new identity. They baptised us in the name
of foreign gods and saints. Pathisa Nyathi “

Religion is a central part of one’s identity for this reason the imperials
wanted to make Africans convert to Christianity which would mean assuming a
new identity.

4
Chapter three :

The ways colonies dealt with imperialism.

The Africans, after the world war two believed that they had only one
choice which to take up arms against the imperial power even if they believed
that it was hard if not impossible to win against the superior European weapons
but still they chose to die rather than bear it. “Where there is power, there is
resistance.”

5
“ They came and were overbearing and we were ordered to carry
their clothes and bundles. They interfered with our wives and our
daughters and molested them. In fact, the treatment was intolerable.
We thought it best to fight and die rather than bear it. William H
worger “

It is true that 6where there is power there resistance as it is stated by

Michel Foucault. Ahmed Sekou Toure, the Republic of Guinea's first president

remarked , "We prefer poverty in liberty than riches in slavery." The sentiment
expressed in the quotation, embodies the view that the Africans had nothing left
to lose and that their life has no sense. There is also, however, a further point
to be considered be that The Africans realized that it is the time to put an
end to the imperial exploitation to live independently. It is true that
where there is power there resistance as it is stated by Michel Foucault.
The Africans were obliged to defend their religion, language, local values

5
The Slave trade to Conauest, by William H. Worger Nancy L. Clark Edward A. Aples , published by Oxford
University press 2001

6
Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality, Volume 1: An Introduction
and natural fortunes… for these reason Resistance materialized in
different forms :

Political resistance:

The Africans organized political parties which ushered in the transition to

independence and became the ruling parties of independent Africa. The Parties,
were formed by the small educated group of Africans mainly residing in
developing colonial towns. These Africans were educated at missionary schools.
For instance, the Moroccan government decided to build new schools to teach
Arabic language and Quran and this happened as a reaction because the France
protector built new school specially to teach French for this reason Moroccan
government give more importance to the field of education in general and
Arabic language in particular.

Example

Cultural and religious resistance:

So many African writers did their best to sensitize people about the bad
effects of colonialism and the importance of maintaining there culture and
religion. They did so by writing about other people’s stories who tried to change
their Identity to assume others’. 7Among these writers, Tayeb Salih who wrote,
in his novel, Season of Migration To The North, about Mustapha Saeed, the
Egyptian who traveled to England, fornicated, drank, smoke and did many
prohibited things in Islam. Afterwards, he found out that nothing is better than
marriage, give birth to children and live a simple life far from problems and sins.
7
Season of Migration To the North, by Tayeb Salih 1996
He, eventually, ended up marrying Hosna and having children. Accordingly,
reading the story of Mustafa Saeed, would make the African readers appreciate
their culture and religion and adopt them in their daily life. The African women
played A significant role in the African resistance. For instance, The 1929 Aba
Women's Revolt, or Igbo Women's war was a unique form of resistance
directed toward local issues of political and economic autonomy. this movement
was unique because its leadership was composed entirely of rural women.

Economic resistance

The colonized countries had to resist against the economic exploitation of the
imperial conquest . The Most remarkable form of the economic resistance was
in India led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi the spiritual guide of the Indian
resistance of India. his resistance took different forms: He led the famous 1930
Salt March, where he and hundreds of other people marched to salt works in
Dharamsala India, and collected salt in peaceful disobedience. The also led
many boycotts against British business, clothes, schools, products…

Chapter four:

the impact of imperialism on culture

European imperialism impacted the culture of Africa like nothing else ever had
before. They redivided it on every possible way. The whole purpose was to
convince to adopt the colonizers’ lifestyle. It can be seen from the above
analysis that culture includes different elements which were all effected by
the imperial conquest. Accordingly, is 8“the social behavior and norms found

in human societies. Culture is considered a central concept in anthropology,

encompassing the range of phenomena that are transmitted through social
learning in human societies. Some aspects of human behavior, social practices
such as culture, expressive forms such as art, music, dance, ritual, religion, and
technologies such as tool usage, cooking, shelter, and clothing are said to be
cultural universals, found in all human societies”. everything was completely
devastated including the most sacred .

Religion:

Undoubtedly, Imperialism changed the religious face of Africa. Missionaries

Established churches to spread Christianity. By doing so Missionaries
believed they were doing the world a good favor. Generally, Imperialism
completely changed the religious dynamic of the natives. For instance,
polygamy used to be accepted. Men could marry more than wife. Because by
doing so they would give birth to many children who will help them in the future
and women also could have the chance to marry and avoid prostitute. But, it
was stated in the bible “ one man, one woman”. Imperialism, dispersed
families since it forbidden polygamy.

Language
The colonizers forced people of colonies to learn English since language is
considered a means through which the imperialist way of life is carried to
replace the African culture. For this reason the colonizers eradicated the
Indigenous languages and established churches to teach English.
8
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture
Morocco

Local values

local values are of great importance in one’s life and identity: they are
considered noble ways of living as “9Godwin Sogolo… wrote that „African
values… maybe taken to mean a set of institutionalized ideals which guide and
direct the patterns of life of Africans.‟ But, unfortunately they have been
affected by colonialism. Colonialism made people forget about their religious
and social values. Smoking and drinking, which are not among the Islamic
values, are now among the daily acts.

Part two. Practical part

First chapter: the relationship between culture and imperialism in culture and
imperialism.

Introduction Culture and imperialism was published 5 years after orientalism

was published. Orientalism defines series of assumptions made by the west
about the orient. Generally, the book explained the mechanisms of the image of
Arabs and Muslims in the Western mind and the American in particular.
in culture and imperialism Edward said examines the roots of imperialism in the
western culture and tried to give a general pattern of relationship between

8 African Journal of History and Culture Vol. 3(6), pp. 96-103, July 2011
imperial powers and its overseas territories. To define the relationship between
culture and imperialism it is needed to look at how Edward Said defines the
terms culture and imperialism which would allow us to identify the kind of the
relationship. Undoubtedly Culture was the first part to be targeted by the
imperial conquest since they believed that they had to rule minds before lands.
For this reason Culture was the elevated area of imperial work to rule the lands.

“In thinking of Carlyle or Ruskin, or even of Dickens and Thackeray,

critics have often, I believe, relegated these writers’ ideas about
colonial expansion, inferior, races, or “niggers” to a very different
department from that of culture, culture being the elevated area of
activity in which they “truly” belong and in which they did their
“really important work.” culture and imperialism, introduction page
“

The relation between culture and imperialism would be defined than as a

relationship of exploitation in which culture is employed to control distant land
and peoples and as a way through which the imperial attitudes were passed. But
the imperial powers has given civilization as a dirty to settle the targeted lands.
Based on this notion the imperial power believed that they had not only the
right but also obligation to rule the inferior race.
“ the notions about bringing civilization to primitive or barbaric
peoples, the disturbingly familiar ideas about flogging or death or
extended punishment being required when “they” misbehaved or
became rebellious, because “they” mainly understood force or
violence best; “they” were not like “us,” and for that reason de- served
to be ruled.”
the relationship between the imperial conquest and its overseas territories
would be defined based on the real objective of imperialism. One would believe
that the Europeans just fulfilled their duty toward the African continent by
civilizing its undeveloped and barbaric inhabitants. However, The Real objective
of the imperial conquest is to exploit the African continent and damage its
political, religious, cultural backgrounds. Accordingly Said defined imperialism
in this way:
“imperialism” means the practice, the theory,
and the attitudes of a dominating metropolitan
center ruling a distant terri- tory;
“colonialism,” which is almost always a
consequence of imperialism, is the implanting
of settlements on distant territory.

Edward Said gave different Examples of relationships between the

imperial conquest and its overseas territories among which: France “

“At best, France’s relationship with Algeria, Senegal, Mauritania,

Indochina was association through “ hierarchic partnership” as René
Maunier argues in his book The Sociology of colonies, but bets rightly
notes that nonetheless the theory of imperialism did not occur by
invitation but by force and in the long run,” Camus and the French
experience page 170”

As mentioned above that the imperial conquest controlled minds before lands to
do so the imperialists used many ways among which: the use of the novel or
literature in general settling the proper grounds for imperialism. The Robinson
Crusoe’s Modern realistic novel is a great example. Since it is about a
European who creates a fiefdom for himself on a distant non European land.
Which is not an accident for Edward Said. For this reason Narrative fiction is
important in history and the world of empire.
“ European writing on Africa, India, part of the fart east, Australia, and the
Caribbean islands, these africanist and indianist discourse, as some of them
have been called, I see as a part of the general European effort to rule distant
lands.” Culture and imperialism introduction” introduction page 1”

The Question to ask here is whether Imperialism is over and concluded or

whether it continues in different forms.

What animates such appeals is not only disagree-ment about what

happened in the past and .what the past was, but uncertainty about
whether the past really is past, over and concluded, or whether it
continues, albeit in different forms, perhaps.

Chapter three :

how colonies dealt with Imperialism in Culture and Imperialism

“Yet it was the case nearly everywhere in the non-European world that the
coming of the white man brought forth some son of resistance.” Culture
and imperialism introduction”

The Africans In a certain time started to think about the independence

and how would they gather their chattered community. They knew they had
to respond to the humiliations of colonialism. Edward said divided the
period of resistance into two periods: in the first period the Africans had to
fight against the outside intrusion of the imperial conquest. The second
period is the ideological resistance trying to restore the sense of the African
community. to put it another way, Imperialism is not just establishing
settlement and controlling land that is owned by someone else but it is also
developing a set of attitudes, internalized believes and certitudes that aims
at controlling minds of the owners to believe that Imperialism has no bad
attitudes but civilizing people. Civilizing people means that they are
barbaric, undeveloped and that they are the inferior race. Accordingly,
Culture is considered the source of identity for this reason it was the first
part to be targeted and devastated. which bring a sort of ideological
resistance rather than political or military resistance.

“What I left out of Orientalism was that

response to Western dominance which cul-
minated in the great movement of decolonization
all across' the Third World. Along with armed
resistance in places as diverse as nineteenth-
century Algeria, Ireland, and Indonesia, there
also went considerable efforts in cultural
resistance almost everywhere, the assertions of
nationalist identi- ties, and, in the political
realm, the creation of associations and parties
whose common goal was self-determination and
national independence.” Introduction” xii

Edward Said Discussed an important idea in the first

chapter of his book which the pasttnes of the past:
whether the past is ove and included or still
continues in different form. the idea to understand
here is that the African independence is relative
which mean that imperialism still casts its shadow
over the African continent but in different
ideological and cultural forms and that for Edward
Said should African resist against. “ promises made
by some in their early phase, for example, rejecting
Christianity and the wearing of Western clothes.”
Culture and imperialism, resistance and opposition.”

The culture resistance took different forms: some

African rejected to convert to Christianity and
others rejected to wear western clothes but the
main role in the African resistance had been played
by their literature by sensitizing them to resist and
encouraged them not to give up just like the Honia
river that never died and has a strong well to live.
As stated by James Ngugi

“The river was called Honia, which meant cure,

or bring-back-to-life. Honia river never dried:
it seemed to possess a strong will to live,
scorning droughts and weather changes. And it
went on in the very same way, never hurrying,
never hesitating” The River Between’

The effects of imperialism on culture

Imperialism has been taken as a factor thereby cultures interact,

influence and most importantly affect each other. That its effects are inevitable
should not mean however that the these effects are from top-to-bottom. Rather,
Cultures do affect and influence each other, that is, their influence and effects
take both direction; bottom to up and vice versa. On the relationship between
culture and imperialism, Edward Said (1994) assumes that by looking at culture
and imperialism carefully, we may discern various forms in the relationship, and
we shall see that we can profitably draw connections that enrich and sharpen our
reading of major cultural texts. Imperialism’s effects in Edward Said “Culture
and Imperialism” are more plainly recognizable on the culture of the colonies
than that of the imperialist. He ,thus, highlights that indeed Imperialism effects
are inevitable. The effects of imperialism are two fold and should be viewed at
as an including two parties. Although, the effects of one on the other is
recognizable, there is always the culture of the superior, imperial, that has big
effects on the culture of the inferior, colonies. In this respect, Edward Said
believes that imperialism does not only bring about effects on the economy,
ideology and commerce of the colonies, but also it does affect a rather more
serious and central aspect which is culture. in this vein, Edward Said asserts that
“ from the time the first British expedition arrived there in 1608 until the last
British Viceroy departed in 1947, India had a massive influence on British life in
commerce and trade industry and politics ideology and war, culture and the life
of imagination” (1994: 133). What Edward Said is highlighting is that the
effects of imperialism are not solely limited to a certain single side or aspect,
rather its effects are multiple, and they are likely to be touched in all aspect of
the colonies including cultural aspect. Edward Said goes further in his view to
the impact of imperialism by citing an example of India. To him, imperialism
had great effects on the Indian culture and life in general. Its effects are still
manifested in the present India. Therefore, this opens up the idea that
Imperialism is not only related to the period before and during the
independence, but its effects continue to manifest themselves in every single
aspect of Indian culture. Edward Said speaks to the same point when he writes
that “There is the view, for example, that Imperialism permanently scarred and
distorted Indian Life, so that even after decades of independence, the Indian
economy, bled by British needs and practices continues to suffer (1994: 135).

Imperialism therefore is assumed, according to Edward Said (1994), to

permanently affect the culture of the colonies. To cite an example, India’s life
has been characterized by the existence of the British imperial forces. This has
certainly had direct effects on the current culture of India. Not only is Indian
culture was an amalgam of the both Indian and British aspects but also, and
rather more surprisingly interesting the effects presently still constitute an
integral part of the Indian Life and culture.

Looking at the effects of imperialism from another angle is worthy of attention

likewise. Imperialism, as established previously, has effects on the culture of the
colonies. Similarly, it also affects the culture of the imperialist. Edward Said in
his “Culture and Imperialism” gives an account to this point by casting some
light on the British culture vis-a-vie its counterpart Indian culture. Edward Said
(1994) asserts that the impact of the Indian culture can be vividly recognized in
the culture of British imperialist. This is due the constant interaction of both
culture during imperial period. Surprisingly enough, the effects of Indian culture
on its British counterpart continue even after Indian independence.