Studies & Degrees in Colonial Studies

Choose where you would like to study Colonial Studies:

In simple terms Colonial Studies is a course that is based on the study of former colonial powers of the west and their interactions with their former colonies in the modern times. It is also considered as an arm of every World History course, ergo the students would also be required to learn how the process of colonization during its time. Most people involved in academic circles consider the study as a course that simply screams “Pandora’s box”, because the study would delve students into terms such as slavery, oppression, rape, theft, massacre and all other terms that are required to be done for a country to be colonized. Some also consider the course to be an eye opener especially if the student is a citizen or a member of an oppressing country of the particular subject of topic. The first stages of the study would revolve around the pre colonial period and processes done by the colonizing powers such as King Henry “The Navigator” of Portugal’s support and instigation of expeditions to the uncharted east, the importance of Spain’s Fernando Magellan’s discovery that the world was round and finally the overall conquest and subjugation of Africa by the Dutch which eventually started the trend of slavery.

The course considerably gets more hairy and hairier as the topic goes deeper into the subjugation of oppressing countries into those who are about to be colonized. Who could forget the Dutch’s segregation of the African people that was categorized simply by their physical appearance and also their famous decree of cutting off the right arm of every newborn child so as he or she can not wield a weapon under the fires of rebellion.

Under this particular part the students would study the interactions between the colonizers and the colonized people, more likely their interactions and the decrees imposed upon the colonies by the ruling country. An example of such act is the United State’s Manifest Destiny where America promised to “police” the known world and part of it would be to “rescue” colonized countries from its oppressors such as the country of Cuba and the Philippines.

After studying all the historical perspectives of complexity of colonization the students would eventually be taught about the modern forms and guise of colonization of current ruling powers and its “former” colonies. The starting point of this part of the study would be typically be at the start of the Cold War where the perspective of that white people can actually be ruled by another set of white people, the example being Western Europe under the USSR the “forerunner” of the dogma equality to all. The students would be taught the current decrees and acts regarding trade agreements, tariffs and acts between powerhouse countries and third world countries. Speaking of third world countries they would also learn about where the term “Third World Country” originated and who thought of it in the World Line. Where a line can be literally drawn across the globe that would literally show a pattern in the division of where the poor countries and where the rich countries are, with the exception of Australia being at the bottom of course.