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the impact of the Europeans on African culture
Topics in Cultural Studies
Abstract
The essay examines a number of publications both online and offline on cultural studies and more specifically, the history of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. The principal goal is to analyze the impact of the Europeans on African culture and indeed suggest that, in the early twentieth century, the African culture had entirely been under threat of being destroyed.
In order to achieve this, the essay is segmented into three distinct portions. The first section defines the key terms used end to end in the essay. The second section outlines the impact of European cultures on Africans. In addition, the portion depicts the Africans’ culture prior to the late nineteenth century. Besides, it shows how the African culture was transformed as a result of European expansion in the early 20th Century. Further, it demonstrates how the change in African culture was representative of “Sayre’s loss of centeredness.”
The last bit restates the thesis statement earlier on outlined in the first paragraph as well as the main points used in the upper portion of the essay.
Keywords: European Culture, African culture, loss of centeredness
Topics in Cultural Studies
Before the writer proceeds with the lower portion of the essay, it is essential to define the keywords to be used later in the essay. Secondly to none, European culture, which is synonymous to Western culture, is difficult to interpret because it covers many countries of the world. However, culture refers to the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions learned through a process of socialization. The shared patterns are used to identify a member within the society and as a result of this, distinguish the member from other groups within the society (McGee, 2009). In this essay, European culture will refer to the shared behaviors by the Europeans or just, the whites. On the other hand, African culture refers to the shared behaviors in virtually all African countries.
Loss of centeredness refers to extinction of one’s way of doing things and in particular, leaving ones way of life and copying another person’s way of life. In cultural studies, loss of centeredness is viewed as the disappearance of cultural practices, political power as well as social systems among the Africans that was in place for centuries until the early 20th Century.
Impacts of Western Culture on Africans
It is extremely valuable to note that, the Europeans had both positive as well as negative effects to the Africans. As well known by almost everyone, the Europeans aimed at bringing about progress in Africa and more particularly, spreading Christianity to the Africans and also providing them with education among other essentials of life.
On the other hand, the Europeans played a negative role in the destruction of the African culture that had been used for centuries earlier on before the Europeans’ arrival in Africa. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Africans enjoyed immense flexibility in practicing the diversified traditional practices ranging from social, political, cultural, economic and religious practices.
The Europeans dominated most of the African countries due to their scientific lead, technological advancement as well their strong military all over the world. This power enabled them to grasp the African countries and with no time they were all over African countries. As a result of this, they were able to extend their ideologies of imperialism at an alarming rate in most African countries.
With such western domination, the European style of civilization, as they called it, destroyed the African cultural heritage. In line with this, they were cultural relativists and viewed their culture as more superior than that of the Africans. As a result, the African cultural practices opened a window for a European way of doing things. This implied that then, due to the powerful Europeans, the Africans had to leave their ways of life and copy those of the Europeans. As a consequence, African cultural growth, came to a standstill.
In short, the Europeans did not only destroy the African cultural heritage but also hindered self development of the Africans that could have been achieved radically through self governance (Arowolo, 2010).
The African Culture prior to the Late 19th Century
Before the late nineteenth century, the Africans enjoyed freedom in conducting the different cultural practices. This was mostly done in large villages where they lived with their families. The main routine practices were art, music and dances. The former was traditionally used by nearly all African communities and was mainly used to praise God during birth as well as times of bumper harvests.
On the other hand, songs were used during ceremonies including during initiation and marriages. The songs were used to encourage the initiates as they passed to the other stage of adulthood. In almost all African communities, initiation was common to both male and females.
Besides, the African communities were majorly agricultural and depended on agriculture for their day to day lives. In line with this, they majorly practiced subsistence farming and not commercial in nature. However, they could exchange such produces with other communities so as to get what they lacked or did not produce (Giblin, 2009).
African Cultural change as a Result of European expansion
As a result of European influence, the African culture changed in a number of ways. Firstly, instead of bringing civilization, they transformed the Africans in virtually all walks of life. In line with this, they distorted the well organized African societies. As mentioned earlier on, their main goal was to westernize the African communities since they viewed this as civilization.
Politically, the Europeans changed the well demarcated natural boundaries by the Africans. These boundaries indicated the realm of the various clans. As if this is not enough, the Europeans introduced their western rules that were to be strictly followed by all the Africans. Consequently, the social institutions, used to preserve culture in the African societies disappeared when the Europeans arrived (Giblin, 2009).
Besides, Africa was economically transformed. In this regard, Africa was integrated into the world of capitalism which was unheard of before the Europeans’ arrival. The African countries acted as the producers of raw materials that would then be used for commercial production in the European countries (n.a, 2008).
In addition, the tax system was established on all Africans which forced them to work for the Europeans for substandard wages.
Further, there was a shift from subsistence farming to cash crop farming. As a result, Africa produced more cash crops for the western industrial production and less for her population, a situation that led to hunger and starvation among the Africans (Claret, 2009).
These changes were typical of what Sayre calls “loss of centeredness”. In line with this, the African cultural heritage was totally lost , and its continuity stagnated. As earlier on indicated, Africa’s self development was difficult since there was the lack of self governance at that period. In some countries like Kenya, the farming communities living in the Kenyan highlands were forced to plant cash crops like coffee and tea (Kwame, 2007).
In conclusion, it would be fair to suggest that, the Europeans did not merely civilize Africa but instead brought about felt impacts on the African culture. The Africans’ ways of life before the end of the 19th Century was totally changed after the arrival of Europeans.
In short, the African culture had completely been threatened if not in the process of being destroyed by the Europeans.
References
Arowolo, D. (2010). The Effects of Western Civilization and Culture. Journal of Social Sciences, 1-5.
Claret, O. (2009, 09 13). The Effects of European Colonization on African people. Retrieved from codewit.com: www.codewit.com/claretprobofpresentafrican.php.
Giblin, J. (2009). African History. African History Journal, 1-8.
Kwame, Y. (2007, 03 13). Impacts of Europeans on African Culture. Retrieved from csus.edu: www.csus.edu/org/capcr/documents/kwame.pdf.
McGee. (2009). Multicultural Education. Needham Heights Journal, 1-5.
n.a. (2008, 12 07). European Imperial Expansion in Africa. Retrieved from www.flowofhistory.com/history/units/eme/18/FC122.
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