Terms and Concepts of Apartheid and Colonialism

Terms and Concepts

• Afrikaner: South African ethnic group descended from Dutch settlers (Boers), speaking Afrikaans. Played a significant role in apartheid.

• Apartheid: A South African policy of racial segregation and discrimination (1948-early 1990s). Legitimized white minority rule and oppressed non-white populations.

• Assimilation: Process where a minority group adopts the customs, culture, and norms of a dominant group. Example: Indigenous children in residential schools.

• Beothuk: Newfoundland Indigenous people driven to extinction by European settlers in the 19th century, displaced and ultimately disappeared by the early 1800s.

• Berlin Conference: 1884-1885 European meeting to divide Africa into colonies, ignoring indigenous cultures and borders. Sparked the "Scramble for Africa."

• Boer: Dutch-descended South African settler, involved in the Great Trek establishing independent Boer republics; the Boer War (1899-1902) was fought over control of South Africa.

• Capitalism: Economic system based on private ownership of production means to create goods and services for profit. The United States example.

• Chattel: Movable personal property; in slavery, slaves were treated as property. American South example.

• Child Labour: Exploitation of children for work, often hazardous, denying childhood and education. Industrial Revolution example.

• Cultural Mosaic: A society where different cultural groups coexist and retain distinct identities, contributing to a diverse national identity (Canada example).

• Cultural Pluralism: Societal model encouraging the coexistence of different cultural groups & preserving their identities (early US example).

• Deindustrialization: Decline in industrial activity (e.g., due to technology, outsourcing) often shifting to service economies. 1970s/80s American cities like Detroit.

• Depopulation: Reduction in population (e.g., migration, disease, low birthrates). Rural areas in Japan due to low birthrates and urban migration.

• Enemy Aliens: People from a nation at war with a country, often treated with suspicion or detained during times of war. German Canadians in WWI example.

• Ethnocentrism/Eurocentrism: Ethnocentrism is believing one's culture is superior; Eurocentrism focuses on European culture as central. Spread of European culture through colonialism.

• European Diseases: Diseases (smallpox, measles) brought by Europeans to the Americas. Massive population loss among indigenous populations due to lack of immunity.

• Foreign Aid: Assistance from one country to another (financial, food, expertise) to promote development or humanitarian aid. The US example.

• Gacaca Courts: Rwanda's community-based courts post-1994 genocide, addressing crimes and promoting reconciliation. Rwandans participated in the Gacaca courts.

• Genocide: Deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. The Holocaust example

• Grameen Bank: Microfinance organization in Bangladesh. Provides small loans to the poor, particularly women, to start businesses. Assisted millions escape poverty through entrepreneurship.

• Grand Exchange: Exchange (goods, ideas, diseases, technologies) between the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa) and New World (Americas) post-Columbus voyages. Transfer of crops (maize, potatoes) and animals (horses).

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Total value of goods and services produced within a country in a year. China has rapid GDP growth.

• Gross National Income (GNI): Total income earned by a nation’s residents (domestic and international). Remittances included. The US example.

• Historical Globalization: Increasing interconnectedness and exchange between cultures & economies, starting with European exploration and colonization.

• Hudson’s Bay Company: British company (1670) that played a major role in the North American fur trade, influencing Canada's history. Key to early Canadian settlements.

• Hutus: Rwandan and Burundi ethnic group, historically in conflict with the Tutsi group. 1994 Rwandan genocide resulted in hundreds of thousands deaths.

• Immigration Act: Laws governing immigrant entry, residence, and rights in a country. Canada's 1976 Immigration Act example

• Imperialism: Policy of extending a country's power and dominance through territorial acquisition or influencing other nations' political/economic relations. British imperialism in India.

• Indentured Labour: Individuals work for a specified time for passage to a new country, often under harsh conditions. Indian workers to Caribbean sugar plantations.

• Indian Act: Canadian law regulating Indigenous peoples' status and rights. Criticized for discriminatory policies. Restricted Indigenous rights.

• Indigenous Peoples: Original inhabitants of a region, with distinct cultures, languages, and traditions that predate colonialism. Cree, Anishinaabe examples.

• Industrial Revolution: Period of rapid industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries, with new technologies and factories. The steam engine and mass production.

• Internment: Forced relocation and confinement of individuals based on ethnicity or nationality, often during war. Japanese Canadians in WWII internment camps.

• Kashmir: South Asian region contested between India and Pakistan, with both claiming sovereignty.

• Land Claims: Indigenous groups' legal assertion to traditionally occupied land, seeking recognition and compensation. Nisga'a Treaty example

• Legacy: Impact of historical events or actions. Colonialism's legacy in economic disparities and political instability.

• Mercantilism: Economic theory/practice where nations export more than they import to hoard wealth, often through colonial exploitation. European nations example.

• Middle Passage: The forced transatlantic journey of enslaved Africans to the Americas. Part of the triangular trade route. Many enslaved people died during this journey.

• Monopoly: Market structure where a single company controls supply; eliminates competition. Microsoft example (accused).

• Multiculturalism: Social policy/ideology promoting the coexistence of diverse cultural groups, emphasizing inclusion and respect. Canada's multiculturalism policy.

• NGO: Non-profit organization, operating independently of government. Doctors Without Borders is an example

• Plantation: Large-scale farm in tropical/subtropical regions, growing single commercial crops (sugar, cotton, tobacco) historically relied on enslaved or indentured labor. Caribbean and American South sugar plantations.

• Residential Schools: Institutions where Indigenous children were forcibly removed from families and cultures. Aimed to assimilate into European ways of life (Canada and US examples), causing lasting harm and intergenerational trauma.

• Silk Road/Silk Route: Network of trade routes connecting China to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, facilitated exchange of goods, culture, and ideas. From 2nd century BCE to 15th century.

• Slave Labor: Forced labor where persons are coerced into work against their will. Enslaved people treated as property, not workers. Cotton plantations example.

• Statement of Reconciliation: Formal declaration acknowledging past wrongs to make amends, often issued by governments/institutions. Canadian government Statement of Reconciliation.

• Status Indian: Legal designation in Canada for Indigenous people registered under the Indian Act, granting specific rights and benefits. Legal access to health services and land.

• Triangular Trade: Transatlantic trade route (16th-19th centuries) exchanging goods for enslaved Africans, transporting to the Americas to be sold, and returning with items produced by enslaved labor. European goods for Africans, Africans to Americas, goods from Americas to Europe.

• Tutsis: Rwandan and Burundi ethnic group, traditionally more politically and economically privileged than Hutus. Primary victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide (800,000 deaths).

• White Man’s Burden: Colonialist idea that white Europeans had a duty to "civilize" and "modernize" non-Western people. Justified imperialism.

Individuals

• Christopher Columbus: Italian explorer credited with opening the Americas to European colonization.

• Romeo Dallaire: Canadian military officer and humanitarian; headed UN peacekeeping mission during the Rwandan Genocide. Acted as a vocal advocate for genocide prevention.

• Bartolomé de Las Casas: Spanish missionary and historian; outspoken critic of the mistreatment of Indigenous people in the Americas. Initial supporter of the encomienda system before becoming an advocate for improved treatment.

• Mohandas Gandhi: Indian independence leader who used nonviolent civil disobedience. Led Indian independence movement. Salt March of 1930 as an example.

• Johannes Gutenberg: German inventor who introduced movable-type printing, revolutionizing knowledge spread. Printed books like the Gutenberg Bible.

• Nelson Mandela: South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, leader; first Black president of South Africa. Fought against apartheid, imprisoned for 27 years, earning a Nobel Peace Prize for reconciliation and peace-building initiatives.

• Aung San Suu Kyi: Burmese political leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate; nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights. Became de facto leader of Myanmar after the National League for Democracy win in 2015. She faced near fifteen years of house arrest.

Other

• Independence Of India: Process of India gaining freedom from British rule in 1947. Largely a result of nonviolent protests.

• Quiet Revolution: Period of intense socio-political and cultural change in Quebec during the 1960s. Marked by secularization, modernization, and Quebec nationalism.

• Rise of the Middle Class: Historical development in the 19th and 20th centuries. Result of economic growth and industrialization. Expanded the middle class.

• Rwandan Genocide: 1994 mass slaughter of Tutsis and moderate Hutus by the extremist Hutu government. Led to approximately 800,000 deaths.

• Scramble for Africa: Period of rapid colonization of Africa by European powers following the Berlin Conference. Almost all of Africa was divided into colonies by the early 20th century.

• Seven Years' War: 1756-1763 global conflict involving major European powers. First "world war" fought in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia.

• Soweto Uprising: Student protests in Soweto, South Africa (1976) protesting apartheid's language policy (Afrikaans). Widespread protests resulted in many deaths.