Theme of Colonization in the English Novel

Section: Research Paper
Published
Dec 1, 2007
Pages
93-117

Abstract

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, England became a super power economically and militarily. As a result of this England dominated over many colonies in both Asia and Africa. In these two continents England established many companies like The East Company in India and The Royal African Company in Africa. These companies and other commercial settlements in the colonies and the growing and expanding in size, it is necessary needed a military force to protect their existence. Therefore, from the middle of the eighteenth century the British colonial policy became both merchntile and military in nature. With time, these trading companies became industrial settlements guarded by a military force to secure their production. Thinking of maintaining its hegemony on the various colonies of the world, the British State felt the necessity for a disguise to cover the real purposes behind its domination of other nations. In consequence, it tended sometilmes,to use moral and religious justifications, as attempting to convince people, the Europeans as well as the natives of the colonies, that its main aim is only to civilize and lead these nations, the colonized, to the light of civilization. It pictured itself as a supreme leader to these countries towards welfare, liberty and education. While on the religious level, various religious circles emphasized that the main purpose behind the British colonization was to save the souls of the primitive people in these colonies and to teach them the Bible. The best example is the description of the Archbishop of Canterbury (1848-1882) of the British colonization as a mission to teach his people the gospel. Whereas James Anthony Froude (1818-1892) justified this issue in a different way. He mentioned that the British colonization was only a response to the natural law of the supremacy for the best, and that the English people were superior over other nations with their physical qualities and their courage that enabled them to dominate other nations. With these bright claims of the British Empire as a superior power and a savior to the whole world, the English colonizer covered his merciless exploitation of the various colonies he conquered and dominated. However, before tackling the subject, it seems appropraite to give definitions of some terms like Colonialism, Colonial Fiction and Colonialist Fiction .

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How to Cite

Mohamed, A.-A. (2007). Theme of Colonization in the English Novel. Adab Al-Rafidayn, 37(48), 93–117. https://doi.org/10.33899/radab.2007.33583