Session 14: Subordination and Subalterns

In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America, which opened up the region to exploitation and used as a base to set up governments by the Portugese and Dutch merchants who exploited the human capital and dearth of resources

In 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, the British East India Company took over the Indian Subcontinent and used Indian resources for the benefit of the Crown

In 1884, thirteen European countries met in Berlin to carve up Africa into spheres of influence in what has come to infamously be known as the Scramble for Africa and monopolized the plethora of natural commodities available on the continent 

The History of Mankind is deplete with instances of subordination, where the more powerful, in terms of economy and military, transgresses into foreign land under the banner of civilization. He uses religion as an excuse to try an 'civilize' the society- it essentially takes on the white mans burden. It sees itself as the only way to enlighten others, to teach others its own ways which is seen as the yardstick by which all aspects of life should be measured.

However, what impact does this have on the people who live in these regions? They turn into the subalterns, forced to abide by the rule of the new rulers. This has a dramatic effect on their life as their culture and social norms are completely taken apart and new rules and regulations are put into place and they are involuntarily or unknowingly circumscribed to a new set of rules. If we look at the example of Congo in Africa, we see that King Leopold had terrorized the people by putting stringent quotas on the people in terms of resources. If for example a certain amount of rubber was not provided by a village/community, the repercussions were harsh- the most grotesque type of mutilation and torture techniques were popularized during this time. What is interesting is that there was a reaction by the international community when these atrocities were made known after journalists and writers explored the region- perhaps one of the most important writers being Jospeh Conrad who wrote the Heart of Darkness, illustrating the crimes being committed in Africa. There were a lot of movements that started which were against the actions that were being committed. So, we see that activities in one part of the world do not go unnoticed in other parts of the world. This is especially true since the advent of mass media. The Vietnam is perhaps the quintessential example that demonstrates this because when the horrible actions as a result of the Vietnam War, such as the burns on women and children because of Agent Orange, were popularized there was a mobilization of social groups against the War.

What are the economic reasons behind these endeavors? What is it that demotes the indigenous population to subalterns, all their actions dictated by those who hold power? One explanation that is put forward is that of the core and the periphery. The core essentially is a developed country that has the necessary economic and military means to carry out acts that benefit the core, or mother country. The periphery is the exploited state/geographical territory that is exploited for its wealth and assets, forced to change its policies according to those in power, changing the social dynamics and social capital of the country. The periphery is unable to reach the status of the core, and merely gets promoted to the status of the semi-periphery, stuck in between the developed and the developing.

This subordination continues to persist even today. Even though outright plunder and exploitation that was carried out in overt ways before, super powers such as America use coercive measures in order to attain the resources that they need in order to keep the mechanism by which the country works running. Examples of this include oil in Saudi Arabia and diamonds in Botswana. These countries are meant to change their policies and give concessions to countries in underhanded ways, leaving the periphery dependent and unable to move forward completely.

Subordination changes the status of the country. It is no longer completely sovereign and has to pick and chose it's policies. It changes the social structure and the economic basis; vestiges of colonial institutions continue to exist even in this increasingly developed and globalized world.