European Colonization History Lecture 1

Definitions and Concepts

• Metropol: Center of control for empires such as Spain, Portugal, and France.
• Exodus: Large group movement to establish residence elsewhere, typically due to persecution or environmental factors; not classified as colonization.
• Emigration: Individual movement to new locations, often assimilating into local cultures while potentially preserving original identities, exemplified by Chinatowns.

Types of Colonization

• Border Colonization: Physical expansion of a country’s borders into adjacent regions; does not apply to European colonialism, which was predominantly overseas.
• Colonization: Involves naval networks and overseas settlements, driven by political or economic motivations.

Jurgen Osterhammel's Definitions

• Colony: A new political entity formed through invasion or settlement, marked by dependence on a distant metropol for political authority and economic exploitation.
• Colonialism: A dominative relationship where a foreign minority rules over an indigenous majority, with decisions favoring the colonizers’ interests, above the needs of the native population.

Types of Colonization

• Colonization is interconnected with the existence of colonies, though some colonies, like those in North Africa and North America under French control, may not exemplify true colonization.
• Internal Colonialization: Happens when a colony explores and settles its own hinterlands, as seen in Brazil’s expansion from its coastline inland.
• Subcolonial Relations: Dynamics between different colonies within an empire, such as Australia acting as a colonizer to nearby regions.

Varieties of Colonies

• Political Types: Include several forms of governance like viceroyalties (British India), audiencias (Spanish America), protectorates, and Crown colonies.
• Economic Types: Categories such as settlement colonies, plantation colonies, exploitation colonies, and trading settlements illustrate diverse economic incentives within colonial systems.

Types of Empires

• Formal Empires: Real empires with many controlled peripheries, exemplified by Portugal, Spain, the Dutch Republic, France, and Britain.
• Semi-Empires: Colonial powers with limited and less widespread control, like Spain post-1820 or Belgium with its singular Congo colony.
• Informal Empires: Influence exerted over regions maintaining independence; includes significant examples like 19th-century British interests in Latin America and China's interactions.

Imperialism

• Encompasses all factors and actions that contribute to the exertion of power and control, shaping the dynamics of colonial and post-colonial relationships.