Lecture 12: Colonialism and the Development
Debate
2/20/13 12:58 PM
Reading: Knox et. Al Ch. 10; Also diagram p. 490, Ch. 11
Colonialism through the lens of urbanization – what occurred, why and to
whom?
Urbanization
“People becoming grouped in increasingly large settlements, allowing a
division of labour and increasing specialization in producing goods and
services.” (O’Connor, 1983: 12)
• division of labour
• larger and larger settlements
UN Dept. Economic and Social Affairs
• Fewer than 500,000
• 500,000 - 1 million
• 1 million – 5 million
• 5 million – 10 million
• 10 million +
• but these are super arbitrary
Little homogeneity in historical processes
Cultural Differences in interpretations
Urban Millennium
• Tipping point
• When the entire world went from overwhelmingly rural to
overwhelmingly urban
• 2008 in the book, 2007 in the UN
• the world is more than 50% urban
• The most urbanized continent in the world is North America
o 82% US
o 80% Canada
• Mega-cities
Indigenous Urbanization
Indigenous Urban Settlements developed without outside colonial influences.
• Organic
• From the people themselves
• Not people coming in from the outside
(p. 440 in reading)
Latin America: Maya urban areas
• Tikal in Guatemala
• Mexico City, Tenochtitlan – 1325
Africa
• Yoruba civilization, 1100 AD – Nigeria
• Nile Valley
Asia: largest number of pre-colonial indigenous urban settlements
• Middle East
• Pakistan
• India
• China
• Japan
2 Basic Elements of Urbanized Society Existed before External Contact
• 1. Surplus created from agriculture to feed non-rural, non-
agricultural population
• 2. Emergence of an hierarchical society:
o aristocracy ! military masses ! artisans ! peasants
o ex. Egypt
• Also Common Though
o Sophisticated agricultural systems, esp. for rice cultivation
" Terracing
o Animal husbandry (farming, livestock)
" To create surplus
" Protein
o Towns and settlements fairly small
" There was still enough land
" Not large “mega-cities”
Urban areas were being developed for different reasons.
• 1. Trade
o Bombay, Indian City (now Mumbai)
o Calcutta
• 2. Administration
o Angkor
• 3. Religion
o Mecca
Islam brought a distinct landscape (know for exam)