Four hundred years ago European Nations began to build Empires by military and economic means. By the middle of the 20th Century almost the entire world had been conquered or subjugated. Britain itself came to rule over 50% of the World's surface.

Since then most of the colonised nations have become self-governing - but the story is by no means over. For better or worse the Nations created by the end of Empire have been irrevocably altered by the experience of Colonisation (Culturally, Politically & Economically) as have the Imperial Nations themselves. The Legacy of Empire includes mass immigration & emigration and the creation of new 'multicultural' societies.

I t can also be argued that the 'Anglo/American Empire' continues to dominate the world culturally & economically in a a new form of 'Imperialism' called 'Cultural Imperialism' or 'Globalization' - It is this 'new imperialism' which was the focus of protest at Seattle & Genoa.

This area is probably the most important & highly contested area it is possible to imagine. The British Empire & Commonwealth Museum in Bristol (see their site for a concise history of the British Empire)

Chapter 3 & 4 of Stuart Hall's 'Representation - Cultural Representations & Signifying Practices' is an extremely good Introduction (advanced) to this area.

Theorists in this area include: Diawara; Frantz Fanon; Richard Dyer; Stuart Hall & Edward Said

Frantz Fanon

According to the Black Psychoanalyst & Philosopher Frantz Fanon (1925-61) Colonialisation has had a huge psychological impact on both the colonisers & the colonised.

Black Skin, White Masks

In the Caribbean, Black Slaves were allowed to dress up in white masks and mock their masters at Carnival time. Fanon realized that 'putting on a white mask' was what many modern black people felt they have to.

An example of this is that the 'universal' criteria for 'beauty' tends to be 'White' - In many countries Black people straighten their hair and lighten their skin to achieve this look.

Another example is that of language 'To speak means to assume a Culture' Caribbean Blacks have lost their native language and to be successful need to speak in 'educated' English/French - even a trace of 'patois' betrays them and subjects them to White Stereotyping.

Stereotypes

Stereotypes can;

Infantilize - such as the 'cute' children of the Charity Poster or the 'simple-minded' 'Step'n fetch it'

Primitivize- The 'exotic & virile' tribal warriors or 'bare-breasted maidens' with a 'natural sense of rhythm'

Decivilize- The 'Gangsta','Pimp' etc.

Essentialize- Undifferentiated mass-'they all look the same to me'

Another way of putting this is:

SAD ( provoking sympathy),

WICKED! (provoking envy/sexuality),

BAD (fear,distrust)

CRAZY! ( laughter/ contempt)

When a person is stereotyped in this way they feel that ' I am being dissected under white eyes....they objectively cut away slices of my reality. I am laid bare'

Instead of being an integrated Self they become part of the 'Racial Epidermis Schema' which divides them into three objects/parts:

A body

A race

A history

This can also be seen as 'the burden of representation' in which person carries the burden of 'representing' his 'type'

'Difference' & 'The Other'

Individuals & Cultures usually define themselves not by what they are ( This is very difficult to do -'A fish doesn't know it's in water') but they how they are different from 'the Other' (not 'others'- otherness is generalised)

So 'whites' aren't 'black, slaves, primitive, inferior,primitive...........

Manichean Binaries

There is also a long established, religiously derived mind set; that sees racial difference as being a 'black & white' binary opposition in the way that the Manicheans saw the universe as being a battle between 'light & dark' forces (as opposed to Taoism -where Light & Dark are equal & co-dependent)

Examples