Academic Sample on Neocolonialism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Despite its nominal and symbolic independence after decolonization, Africa has not achieved absolute autonomy and self-sufficiency. With neocolonial techniques creating significant barriers to long-term economic advancement and independence, the impact of colonialism has left a lasting mark on the African continent. Using a qualitative method and secondary data analysis is essential to fully comprehend the complex effects of neocolonialism on Africa's economic development and expansion. Researching the complex mechanisms of financial domination and power disparities associated with neocolonial governance in Africa is crucial. In many African nations, neocolonial financial dominance significantly contributes to corruption and poor governance. Multinational businesses' monetary, financial, and trade strategies are considered the main indirect mechanisms of control used by the neocolonial administration (Langan, 2018). A key instance of neocolonialism was Belgium's policy toward the Belgian Congo. The swift decolonization of the Congo was welcomed by the Belgians, who anticipated that they would become the primary supplier to the newly formed nation. Despite Congo's official independence, the Belgians would be able to rule the country thanks to this reliance. Most of their African empire comprised just one colony, which set them apart from other European equivalents. Belgium maintained its hegemony through its Société Générale de Belgique following the Belgian Congo's independence. Société Générale de Belgique operated in Belgium as a commercial and economic corporation after serving as an investments bank (Gertjan Verdickt & Deloof, 2023). It controlled a significant share of the Belgian national economy and the Belgian colonial territory. The bank dominated the mineral-laden regions, and most of the Congolese economy.

Multinational firms invest in developing nations, harming the people there concerning ecology, human rights, and the environment. Fishing has always been a significant part of the economies of West African countries (Hadj et al., 2023). Contract negotiations between the European Union and states for fishing off the shores of West Africa commenced. Abrupt commercial overfishing by foreign vessels significantly contributed to extensive joblessness and regional population migration. These nations continue to be sources of inexpensive labor and essential supplies, but they impose barriers to entry for innovative production methods that could help them improve economically. Natural resource monopolization can initially attract investment, but it also frequently results in rises in unemployment, impoverishment, and average household income.

Neocolonialist concepts can be identified in theoretical articles that study gender beyond the global north. The Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act is a prime illustration of how neocolonial agendas generate gender expectations and ideas (Johnson & Falcetta, 2021). In reaction to the law, the United States put financial penalties on Uganda, the World Bank withheld aid loans to Uganda and the respective governments of Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway stopped funding Uganda because they disagreed with the law. Uganda's reaction was to describe it as an assault on their culture by neocolonialists. Neocolonialism was discovered in the acceptance of orthodox gender identification politics among Evangelical Christians in the United States in particular. Before the enactment of this legislation, conservative Christian organizations in the US utilized legislators and African clergy, emulating the tenets of Christian evangelism in the US. The other form of neocolonialism in Uganda is the acceptance of financing from conservative Christian evangelical ideas from the United States, which essentially eliminates any traditional gender variety in Africa.

It is imperative to investigate the intricate systems of monetary dominance and power imbalances linked to neocolonial politics in Africa. The primary indirect control tools employed by neocolonial governance are multinational corporations' financial,

commercial, and economic operations. International corporations invest in developing countries that negatively impact the local populace's environment, human rights, and ecosystem. Theoretical writings that examine gender outside of the global north often contain neocolonialist ideas. Neo-colonialism's effect is that foreign capital is employed for exploitation as opposed to the advancement of the world's developing regions.

 

 

References

Gertjan Verdickt, & Deloof, M. (2023). Investing for the Long Run: The Rise and Fall of Société Générale De Belgique, 1835-1988. Investing for the Long Run: The Rise and Fall of Société Générale de Belgique, 1835-1988. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4462058

Hadj Bara Dème1, E., Failler, P., Assane Dedah Fall, Moustapha Dème, Idrissa Diedhiou, Grégoire Touron-Gardic, Waly Bocoum, & Asiedu, B. (2023). Contribution of small-scale migrant fishing to the emergence of the fishmeal industry in West Africa: Cases of Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.871911

Johnson, P., & Falcetta, S. (2021). Beyond the Anti-Homosexuality Act: Homosexuality and the Parliament of Uganda. Parliamentary Affairs, 74(1), 52–78. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsz025

Langan, M. (2018). Neo-Colonialism and the Poverty of “Development” in Africa. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58571-0