Test: Colonialism and its approaches - UGC NET MCQ

Understanding Post-Colonialism and Forms of Violence

• Pervasive violence is not one of the three forms of violence identified by Post-Colonialism.

Important Points

• Pervasive violence is a common feature of the postcolonial era, characterized by ongoing conflicts, civil wars, and state violence in many parts of the world.
• This violence is often rooted in the legacies of colonialism, including the arbitrary borders and divisions imposed by colonial powers, and the exploitation of natural resources and labor that continues to fuel conflict and inequality.
• Pervasive violence has far-reaching social, economic, and political consequences, undermining efforts to promote peace, development, and democracy, and perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality in many postcolonial societies.

Additional Information

• Material violence refers to physical harm inflicted on individuals or groups, including direct violence such as assault or war.
• Epistemic violence refers to the harm caused by the dominant systems of knowledge and ways of thinking that exclude or marginalize certain groups or perspectives.
• Structural violence refers to the indirect harm caused by social structures and systems that create and perpetuate inequalities, such as poverty, racism, and gender discrimination.

Novel Authored by E.M. Forster

• A Passage to India is a 1924 novel by English author E. M. Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s.
• The novel examines racism and colonialism as well as a theme Forster developed in many earlier works, namely, the need to maintain both ties to the earth and a cerebral life of the imagination.
• The title of the novel is derived from Walt Whitman's 1870 poem "Passage to India" in Leaves of Grass.

Additional Information

• Salman Rushdie's 2019 book 'Quichotte' is inspired by Miguel De Cervantes Don Quixote'.
• Invisible Man is a novel by Ralph Ellison about an African American man whose color renders him invisible.
• Published by Random House in 1952, it addresses many of the social and intellectual issues facing African-Americans early in the twentieth century, including Black Nationalism.

The correct answer is (a)-(i), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv).

Key Points

• Colonialism is a strategy nations use to create, expand, or maintain their control over other peoples or territories, usually to gain economic superiority.
• There are several types of colonialism, including the following:
  • Settler colonialism: This refers to mass immigration, which is frequently driven by religious, political, or economic motives and intends to supplant any existing population by sending a sizable number of people to the colony with the intention of staying and cultivating the land. A few examples of settler colonial societies are Australia, Canada, and the United States.
  • Exploitation Colonialism: It primarily focuses on the exploitation of the resources or population of the colonial countries as labourers and involves a relatively small number of immigrants. Using the British exploitation of India's riches as an example.
  • Surrogate colonialism: It involves when a colonial power sponsors a settlement project when the majority of the settlers do not share the same ethnicity as the colonial power.
  • Internal colonialism: It refers to the idea of unequal structural power distribution within a state. The manner that control and exploitation may be transferred from whites in the colonising country to a white immigrant population within a newly independent country serves as a demonstration that the source of exploitation originates within the State.

The correct answer is Both Statement I and Statement II are true.

Key Points

• Colonialism:
  • Colonialism involves exploiting people's lives and cultures to gain political and economic dominance over the colony.
  • European powers like Portugal, Spain, France, and England expanded their dominance through colonization, impacting regions across the globe.
  • During colonialism, an alien minority often claimed racial and cultural superiority over the native majority.
• Decolonization:
  • Decolonization is the process of dismantling colonial structures after World War II.
  • It involves undoing the effects of colonialism through nonviolent revolutions or national liberation wars.
  • Factors contributing to decolonization post-World War II include:
    • Nations facing financial constraints, making it unsustainable to maintain colonial administration.
    • Emergence of movements in colonial states influenced by ideas of liberty, equality, and freedom.
    • Pressure from international bodies like the United Nations on imperial powers to grant independence to colonies.
    • During the Cold War, superpowers like the US and USSR supporting independence movements, fueling nationalism.

Frantz Fanon's Statement

• Frantz Fanon was a Martinican psychiatrist, philosopher, and revolutionary.
• Marxism, critical theory, and post-colonial studies have all benefited from his writings.
• Fanon was a political radical, Pan-Africanist, and Marxist humanist who was interested in the psychological effects of colonization as well as the social, cultural, and political repercussions of decolonization.
• In his work "The Wretched of the Earth," this significant study focuses on what he saw as the essential function of activist violence in carrying out decolonization campaigns.
• Frantz Fanon stated that "Revolutionary violence is not just cathartic but it also allows the colonial subjects to recreate themselves."
• He has been referred to as the most important anti-colonial thinker of his day.

Therefore, Frantz Fanon's statement highlights the role of revolutionary violence in not only providing a cathartic release but also enabling colonial subjects to redefine and reconstruct their identities in the context of decolonization.

The Correct Match of Authors with Books

• Sanjay Joshi:
  • He wrote the book 'Fractured Modernity - Making of a Middle Class in Colonial North India'.
  • This book describes the rise of the middle class in colonial India.
  • Using Lucknow as a case study, the author demonstrates ways in which the making of the middle class in British India was closely tied to both 'modern' and 'traditional' imaginings and constructions of class, community, nation, and gender relations.
• Nicholas B. Dirks:
  • Nicholas B. Dirks is an American academic and the former Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Dirks is the author of numerous books on South Asian history and culture, primarily concerned with the impact of British colonial rule.
  • He wrote the book 'Castes of Mind - Colonialism and the Making of Modern India'.
• Bernard S. Cohn:
  • Bernard S. Cohn was an American anthropologist and scholar of British colonialism in India.
  • Cohn's works include Colonialism and its Forms of Knowledge (1996), An Anthropologist Among the Historians (1987), and India: The Social Anthropology of a Civilization (1971).
• Eric Hobsbawm:
  • Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism, and nationalism.
  • He wrote 'Fractured Times - Culture and Society in the Twentieth Century'.

Hence, the correct matching of the authors and their books is:

• All the statements provided are correct regarding the main trends of Mercantilism.
• Important Points:
  • Mercantilism is an economic policy aimed at maximizing exports and minimizing imports to strengthen the economy.
  • It led to the rise of imperialism and colonialism among European nations.
  • An example of mercantilism is the Sugar Act of 1764, where American colonists had to pay higher tariffs on imported refined sugar products.
  • Some characteristic trends of Mercantilism include:
    • To maximize exports while minimizing imports to retain wealth within the nation's economy.
    • Emphasis on the net inflow of bullion or precious metals.
    • Imposing high import tariffs on foreign goods.
    • Restricting colonies' trade freedom to secure lower prices.
    • Government subsidies on exports and homegrown manufacturing.
    • Establishing joint stock companies to fund explorations.

Therefore, based on the principles of Mercantilism, the correct statements are:

• Efforts to raise exports.
• Emphasis on the net inflow of bullions.
• High custom rates.
• Set up of joint stock companies.

Analysis of Statements

• Statement I is incorrect: Civilization and subaltern perspectives are distinct approaches to studying society.
• The Civilization perspective highlights the achievements of dominant cultures and civilizations.
• The subaltern perspective focuses on the experiences and viewpoints of marginalized groups and subalterns.
• Statement II is incorrect: NK Bose and David Hardiman do not both support the Indological perspective.
• NK Bose was a nationalist historian emphasizing Indian civilization's contributions.
• David Hardiman specializes in modern Indian history, focusing on the impact of colonialism on India.

Therefore, the correct answer is both incorrect.

In the modern world, the life world, which is the realm of everyday life, has been increasingly colonized by the system world.

• This colonization refers to the institutionalized structures and processes of modern society, such as bureaucracies, corporations, and mass media.
• It has led to the erosion of communicative rationality, impacting the ability to engage in authentic and meaningful communication and mutual understanding.

The system world is the everyday world that we share with others.

• It includes economic, political, and social institutions that regulate our lives and interactions.
• It shapes our interactions with others and encompasses the norms, values, and practices that facilitate mutual understanding and social integration.

Overall, according to Habermas, the colonization of the life world by the system world poses a threat to authentic communication and undermines the democratic potential of modern societies.

Statement 1Statement 2ConclusionTrueTrueBoth statements 1 and 2 are true.

Therefore, in line with Habermas' perspective, both statements 1 and 2 are deemed accurate in illustrating the dynamics between the life world and the system world in modern society.

Understanding the Matched Lists

• The Twenty Years Crisis, 1919-39

  • The book "The Twenty Years' Crisis: 1919–1939" is authored by E. H. Carr.
  • E. H. Carr presents a realist theory of international politics in this book, along with criticizing the utopian vision of liberal idealists.
  • According to Carr, the concept of power politics defines international politics.

• The Analysis of International Relations

  • The author of "The Analysis of International Relations" is Karl Deutsch.
  • This book delves into nation-state decision-making processes, errors, and significant global shifts in population needs and behaviors.

• Imperialism: A Study

  • This book explores the political-economic aspects of imperialism and its negative financial, economic, and moral repercussions as a nationalistic business venture.
  • Written by J.A. Hobson, it argues that imperialism stemmed from capitalist commercial activities.

• Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism

  • "Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism" is penned by Kwame Nkrumah.
  • Nkrumah discusses how the West, especially the United States, transitioned from colonialism to neocolonialism in response to successful national liberation movements like the one in Ghana.

Therefore, (a) - (iii), (b) - (i), (c) - (iv), (d) - (ii) is the correct matching.