The Relationship between Race, Gender, Class, Sexuality, and Imperialism

The Relationship between Race, Gender, Class, Sexuality, and Imperialism
Several elements influence a state's or region's ability to control another's economic, political, or cultural life. Race, gender, class, and sexuality are among the factors (Tatah, 2015). The variables are seen to strengthen the state, giving it the authority to dominate and oppress the indigenous peoples of the territory with force. Imperialism began several centuries ago, with Ireland becoming the first British colony 800 years ago. Sections of Ireland are currently under British authority. In 1992, there was an attempt to ratify the Maastricht Treaty to allow the economic, military and currency integration with Europe (Bush , 2014). This shows how deep imperial powers of the British were determined to control the life of the Irish. Imperialism has evolved to include the day to day activities in the society.

Race has significantly contributed to the Imperialism. The nations with the imperial powers are primarily racists. The European countries that had territories in Africa considered the blacks as individuals who were fit for slavery (Pedwell, 2010). They recruited the Africans to participate in hard labor and to exclusively work for them to fulfill their mission of obtaining raw materials and other natural resources.

Gender is also a major factor in imperialism; the men who are more muscular than the females are considered more potent. There has been a tendency to oppress the women in the society due to their seemingly inferior nature (Karen, Longhurst, & Johnston, 2001). In New Zealand, for example, mountaineering was considered a reserve for the men. Due to their ability to climb Mt Cook, men possess imperial powers over the women. However, there is a concerted effort by the women to match the masculinity of the men. Some have truly managed to climb the mountain, but due to the active imperialism in the society, these women has not achieved the masculinity and the imperial powers associated with the men.

The society has used the social class to drive their imperial agenda. The modern day imperialism involves the oppression of the lower class people who are perceived to earn little compared to others in the society (Bush , 2014). People in the higher social class take advantage and oppress them by offering cheap labor as well as slavery.

The sexuality of the individuals in the society has considerably been a source of classification in the community. People with a sexual orientation that the society considers illegal has been oppressed by the majority of the individuals in the society. For example in Scotland, the gay people have been treated as criminals in the past (Forsyth, 2006). The heterosexual considered themselves superior and did not let the gay individuals hold offices. The homophobic issue was used as a political and economic tool to exploit people of different sexuality. The advocates used the society's perception of the gay people, and the arguments involving a gay would almost always go against them. An example of such a case was filed in 1989 and involved Colin Tucker, who was a gay man and the defendant. The advocate used the myths about the links between the gay and mortgage crimes to argue their case. The police and the society created theories that helped them to oppress the gays in the society by labeling them as criminals.

Conclusion

The race, gender, class, and sexuality are directly linked to imperialism. These factors have been used by the society to classify individuals into groups. The groups that consider themselves to possess more imperial powers are involved in oppressing the groups with the minor powers. Clear examples have been elaborated showing the extent that the society can go to rule and control over others. The gays in Scotland was for a long time seen as criminals while the New Zealand valued masculine men who could climb Mt Cook more than men. These few examples are proof enough that imperialism has taken roots in our societies.

References

Bush , B. (2014). Imperialism and Postcolonialism. Routledge Publishers.

Forsyth, D. (2006). Gay Threat to Justice. In L. Knopp, Rings, circles and perverted Justice (p. 182). Routledge Publishers.

Karen, M. M., Longhurst, R., & Johnston, L. (2001). (Troubling) spaces of mountains and men:New Zealand’s Mount Cook and Hermitage Lodge. Social & Cultural Geography, 138.

Pedwell, C. (2010). Feminism, Culture and Embodied Practice: The Rhetorics of Comparison. Routledge Publishers.

Tatah, M. (2015). Unmasking Social Science Imperialism: Globalization Theory. Langaa RPCIG.