Colonialism and the origin of globalization

It is impossible to understand the modern world without considering colonialism, which is the topic of the fourteenth chapter. Anthropology's complex and controversial relationship with Western colonialism is explored, including the fact that early anthropologists were often employed in colonial service, to provide knowledge to administrators and to plan and organize change. In fact, colonialism is discussed as a particular way of knowing, related to the capacity to govern. The chapter then examines the diversity of colonial relations and practices, associated with different historical eras and actors. Comprehending colonialism as a cultural practice leads us through various colonial institutions and John and Jean Comaroff's analysis of the colonization of everyday life; even more, the chapter discusses colonial governmentality and the intimacy of the colonial encounter. Finally, the chapter summarizes the lasting legacies of colonialism, including depopulation, acculturation, poverty and environmental degradation, economic dependence, the creation of plural societies, and the introduction of race and racism—all of which continue to have consequences in the contemporary world—with a mention of contemporary experiences of “digital colonialism.”