Ecological Imperialism , written by Alfred W. Crosby, is a study in the science of ecological history, which attempts to find out what caused the environmental consequences of history. Crosby's main point in this book is that it was more the Old World diseases, animals, and plants that kept non-European people from resisting against Western colonialism than it was the European military power. Therefore, the defeat of the American Indian nations was as much a biological conquest for Europe as it was a military and cultural conquest.
Although European weapons, cavalry charges, soldiers dressed in armor, and the raging beasts (horses), played a huge role in the history of Stone Age warriors, the introduction of animals and new grains was just as important to the Neolithic Revolution. It also played a bigger importance in the defeat of the New World. Another significant occurrence that has to be mentioned in the imperialist conquest is the devastating effects of foreign diseases on the bodies and religions of the people who tried to resist invasion. Millions of native Australians, New Zealanders, and Americans died of smallpox, measles, and other diseases during the entire period of European colonization. The results of the trouble of supply sources and moral played right into the hands of the conquerors. Crosby also points out how the English felt that the reason the natives were dying off so quickly, was because it was the English god that made them die so fast. This was a perfect example of how Europeans demoralized the beliefs of non-European and non-Christian people.
Crosby marks out the history of Western expansion from the Crusades through the colonization of the Canary Islands, the Western Hemisphere, Oceania and Africa. In many instances, the native plants, animals, and people were altered to such an extent that the outcome of the ecosystems looked like that of Europe more than the native country.
Many of the cultural traditions that are passed down through generations have given these native peoples the tools they need to adapt and survive in their ecological niche. ... With the ecological diversity of Mesoamerica resulting in the native nations being able to obtain a variety of products and goods, usually without excessive transportation requirements. ...
The Role of Religion in the Present Ecological Crisis Religion and its underlying beliefs have an extremely profound effect on the society in which it is established. ... The differences between religions would account for the different degrees of ecological issues facing various parts of the world because of the distribution of religions. There are many extreme differences between the eastern religions; such as Hinduism and Buddhism, and the western religion of Christianity, that can account for the greater degree of damage to the environment and ecological destruction in the areas asso...
In his book, he stresses that "a nation's greatness is measured by its freedom from "poverty, racism, sexism, exploitation, imperialism....environmental devastation," and a fundamental opposition to war and pursuit of peace everywhere". ... Very emphatically, Parenti said, "in the age of George Bush's America, and his coterie of extremist rogues, the issue is now survival at a time a reckless leadership threatens everyone with potential nuclear or ecological Armageddon because of their lust for wealth, power and empire." ...
Introduction The fundamental reason for colonization is to take the assets, both nature and human, of the possessed regions to upgrade and fortify the vanquishers. After the sixteenth century, different realms were colonizing countries and domains everywhere throughout the world. The Spanish, Portug...
Gary Snyder's childhood and upbringing greatly contributed to the values that he held as an intellectual adult. First, his parents (his father was a union organizer) and grandparents were members of the old left-wing politics. He grew up on a farm in Washington, a piece of land in which he felt closely bonded to. Snyder took up mountaineering and backpacking at a very early age. At the age of fifteen he climbed Mt. ...
An Inconvenient Truth Reaction Paper for "An Inconvenient Truth" The movie was composed of many documented events narrated and discussed by the former U.S Vice President Al Gore. The data gathered and the trends of different climatological graphs were well introduced to the public for better comprehension. The documentary also provided a deeper understanding regarding the most sensitive issue about the environment which is the Global Warming. It was alarming to see the various effects of the dramatic increase in carbon emissions by the world since carbon is one o...
Many see it as a primarily economic phenomenon, involving the increasing interaction, or integration, of national economic systems through the growth in international trade, investment and capital flows. However, one can also point to a rapid increase in cross-border social, cultural and technological exchange as part of the phenomenon of globalisation. The sociologist, Anthony Giddens, defines globalisation as a decoupling of space and time, emphasising that with instantaneous communications, knowledge and culture can be shared around the world simultaneously. A Dutch academic who maint...
In the wake of so many decades of colonial myth rehashed as Australian national identity, Australians were grappling for a self-image, fashioned ou of the colonial imperialism of the past and the uncertainties of the immigration influx of the then-present. ...