Postcolonialism

[Dunenewt]

What do you guys think of postcolonialism?  While it is often said that Western Imperialism brought much to the territories they colonised, such as rail roads, did they do good?  Can the Empires be justified?  Great civilisations were totally wiped out, such as the Aztecs, as they were viewed as barbaric and uncivilised, but would these civilisations be better off now if they were never colonised?  Is the international system too western orientated? 

[Andrew]

If Europe stayed away from North/South America, I doubt they would have advanced much more. But Europe and the rest of the world would not have evolved as fast either. Without Europeans, there would be no horse. The natives made the native horse extinct in North America around 7000 B.C.

I've watched several videos which documented the destruction of cultures. One was near amazon in South America, and another was on an island north of Australia. Documentary people came in and documented their way of life, and also documented what happened when western society arrived. western society completely eliminated their culture. I particularly enjoyed when Jesuits came and replaced their religion with Christianity. Also commerce that came and made the people "slaves" that fought with each other over who could cut down what tree to get a pack of smokes. These people had a happier life than we have now. They would only need to work about 5 hours a day and the rest would be leisure time.

One tribe enjoyed getting high. And it caused some sort of snot stuff out of their noses or something.

[Dunenewt]

So what you're saying is it was worth becoming a colony of an Empire, and everything that came with it (slavery, exploitation etc) because of the advancements it brought, and in the long run things worked out for the best?

[Andrew]

Well, I don't know. It did destroy civilizations, but it definitely did advance mankind technology wise.

[Dunenewt]

Also, would you say there is too much emphasis on nationality and identity in the postcolonial era, as instead of being part of one Empire, states now have to emphasise their own nationality, and what makes them unique by the exclusion of "foreign attributes" which in turn have led to many wars, e.g. the War of the Pacific.