GEOG 1000 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Sea Lane, White Supremacy, Maxim Gun
6 May 2018
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GEOG 1000 QUIZ 3
ULTIMATE STUDY GUIDE
March 11, 2018
Examples of pre-colonial African societies discussed in lecture
Nubia, is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between Aswan in
southern Egypt and Khartoum in central Sudan. It was the seat of one of the earliest
civilizations of ancient Africa, with a history that can be traced from at least 2500 BC
onward, and was home to several mighty empires, most prominently the kingdom of
Kush, which for a while even ruled over Egypt. Its collapse in the 4th century AD
after more than 1000 years of existence saw the rise of three Christian kingdoms,
Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia, the last two again lasting 1000 years. Their eventual
decline initiated not only the partition of Nubia into the northern half conquered by
the Ottomans and the southern half by the Sennar sultanate in the 16th century, but
also a rapid Islamization and partial Arabization of the Nubian people. Nubia was
again united under the Khedivate of Egypt in the 19th century. Today, Nubia is split
between Egypt and Sudan.
Timbuktu is one of the northernmost cities in Mali, sitting on the edge of the Sahara
desert. Once rumored to be a city of gold, Timbuktu attracted explorers from all over
the world. Timbuktu flourished from the trade in salt, gold, ivory and slaves. In its
Golden Age, the town's numerous Islamic scholars and extensive trading network
made possible an important book trade, establishing an African scholarly centre.
Colonialism: what it was, rationales behind it, and how it transformed Africa
The practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country,
occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
OR
A political and economic system in which regions and societies are legally,
economically, and politically dominated by an external society. In this uneven
connection, the colonizer works to reshape the regional politics and economy to suit
its own needs.
The rationale for Colonization was to bring Civilization and Christianity to savages.
Saturated with explicit racism, racial superiority was a clear justification.
“We are the first race in the world, and the more of the world we inhabit, the better it
is for the human race” - Cecil Rhodes.
Also for commerce, colonies become new markets to sell on and allow access to
natural resources.
It became a fight between Europeans to secure resources and develop. Africa was
seen as land for the taking. Imperial rivalries are part of a long history in Europe, and
they only intensified by the 1880s. Desperate sense that if you did not expand, you
would be left behind to diminish.
Berlin conference: The principle of effective occupation stated that powers could
acquire rights over colonial lands only if they possessed them or had "effective
occupation": in other words, if they had treaties with local leaders, if they flew their
flag there, and if they established an administration in the territory to govern it.
Weapons and the development of Quinine (Malaria treatment) made colonization
easier.
By 1914: 10,000 African kingdoms transformed into 40 colonies.
Europeans ignored indigenous cultural and political geographies, evident by the fact
that Nubia is divided in half between Egypt and Sudan.
The 2 major factors that precluded large-scale European movement into the
African interior before the mid-1800s
The development of superior firepower (weapons: the Maxim Gun). Quinine, a
treatment for Malaria. The Dutch were unable to penetrate Africa’s interior due to
resistance from African warriors and Malaria.
Viviane Rutabingwa and James Kassaga Arinaitwe’s critique of Taylor Swift’s
“Wildest Dreams” video
Swift packages our continent as the backdrop for her romantic songs devoid of any
African person or storyline, and she sets the video in a time when the people
depicted by Swift and her co-stars killed, dehumanized and traumatized millions of
Africans. This nostalgia that privileged white people have for colonial Africa is
awkwardly confusing to say the least and offensive to say the most.
Poverty and wealth within the region and the relationship between the two
Wealth was created through the creation of poverty. Poverty and wealth come out of
colonialism, when one party is suffering, another party is benefitting from that
Document Summary
Examples of pre-colonial african societies discussed in lecture. Nubia, is a region along the nile river encompassing the area between aswan in southern egypt and khartoum in central sudan. It was the seat of one of the earliest civilizations of ancient africa, with a history that can be traced from at least 2500 bc onward, and was home to several mighty empires, most prominently the kingdom of. Kush, which for a while even ruled over egypt. Its collapse in the 4th century ad after more than 1000 years of existence saw the rise of three christian kingdoms, Nobatia, makuria and alodia, the last two again lasting 1000 years. Nubia was again united under the khedivate of egypt in the 19th century. Today, nubia is split between egypt and sudan. Timbuktu is one of the northernmost cities in mali, sitting on the edge of the sahara desert.
