Anthro 2A Module 9

Macro & Local Levels of Social Analysis

Analyzing social phenomena at both large-scale (macro) and small-scale (local) levels to understand their interconnectedness and impact.

Imperialism

A society's dominance over other societies, often through economic, political, or cultural means.

Colonialism

A form of imperialism involving direct governmental and administrative control over dominated peoples.

3 Waves of European Colonial Expansion (& Japan)

Historical periods of colonial expansion by European powers and Japan, including the "discovery" of the New World, early industrial capitalism, and late 19th and early 20th-century industrialization.

Profit and the Colonies

Methods used by colonial powers to profit from colonies, such as direct settlement, resource extraction, and exploitation of local labor.

Slave Trade

The forced transportation and sale of people, primarily from Africa to the Americas, as part of colonial exploitation.

Conscription

The forced recruitment of people for labor or military service, often used in colonial contexts.

Colonial Strategies of Accessing Labor

Methods used by colonial powers to control labor, including taxes, land seizure, and coercion.

Local Impacts of Colonialism

Negative effects on colonized peoples, including cultural disruption, economic exploitation, and environmental degradation.

Disease, Depopulation and Imperialism

The significant population decline in colonized regions due to the introduction of European diseases.

American Indians and Disease

The devastating impact of European diseases on Native American populations, leading to significant depopulation.

Herero Revolt

A rebellion by the Herero people against German colonial rule in what is now Namibia, resulting in genocide.

Genocide

The systematic extermination of a particular ethnic or racial group, as seen in the Herero Revolt.

The "Frontier"

A concept used to justify westward expansion in the United States, framing the West as a region to be civilized and controlled.

Reserves

Areas set aside for indigenous peoples, often as a result of forced relocation.

Indian Removal Act of 1830

Legislation that forcibly relocated Native American tribes from their ancestral lands to reservations.

Land Tenure

Systems of land ownership and inheritance, often altered by colonial powers to favor private ownership.

Privatization of Land v. Corporate Land

The shift from communal land ownership to individual or corporate ownership, often imposed by colonial powers.

Commodification

The process of assigning market value to goods or services, including land, which can be bought and sold.

Alienable and Inalienable

Terms referring to whether land can be sold or transferred (alienable) or is tied to ancestral or cultural heritage (inalienable).

The Mahele

A historical event in Hawaii where communal land was privatized, leading to significant changes in land ownership and cultural practices.

Rubber Production in the Belgian Congo

Notorious for its abusive labor practices and environmental degradation during the colonial era.

Phosphate Mining on Nauru

Environmental degradation resulting from phosphate mining, which severely impacted the island's ecosystem.

Anthropological Theory & Colonialism

The development of anthropological theories within the context of colonialism, often reflecting and legitimizing colonial power dynamics.

Scientific Racism

The belief that humans can be divided into discrete biological races with inherent traits, used to justify colonialism and slavery.

Unilinear Social Evolutionism

The theory that societies evolve through a single, linear progression from primitive to advanced stages.

Social Darwinism

The application of Darwin's evolutionary principles to social structures, suggesting that societies compete and only the "fittest" survive.

Power and Representations

The ways in which power influences how groups are represented and perceived, often reinforcing dominant narratives.