Benign colonialism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benign colonialism is a term that refers to an alleged form of colonialism in which benefits outweighed risks for indigenous populations whose lands, resources, rights and freedoms were preempted by a colonizing nation-state. The historical source for the concept of benign colonialism resides with John Stuart Mill who was chief examiner of the British East India Company dealing with British interests in India in the 1820s and 1830s. Mill's most well-known essays (1844) on benign colonialism are found in "Essays on some Unsettled Questions of Political Economy." Mill's view contrasted with Burkean orientalists. Mill promoted the training of a corps of bureaucrats indigenous to India who could adopt the modern liberal perspective and values of 19th century Britain. Mill predicted this group’s eventual governance of India would be based on British values and perspectives. For a discussion of Mill's arguments see Doyle (2006).
Those who adopt benign colonialism as a truth claim argue that education, health, housing and employment possibilities improved conditions for indigenous peoples as settlers, merchants and administrators also brought new industries, liberal markets, developed natural resources and introduced improved governance. The first wave of benign colonialism lasted from c. 1790s-1960s. The second wave included neocolonial policies exemplified in Hong Kong (Liu 2003), where unfettered expansion of the market created a new form of benign colonialism. Political interference and military intervention (Doyle 2006) in independent nation-states, such as Iraq (Campo 2004), is also discussed under the rubric of benign colonialism in which a foreign power preempts national governance to protect a higher concept of freedom. The term is also used in the 21st century to refer to American, French and Chinese market activities in countries on the African continent with massive quantities of underdeveloped nonrenewable envied resources.
Literature that challenges the assumptions of benign colonialism claiming the colonialist project as it actually unfolded placed First Nations, Inuit and Métis at higher risks of vulnerabilities to catastrophes, to social exclusion and human rights abuses, has not been as widely publicized.
Campo, Juan E. 2004. “Benign Colonialism? The Iraq War: Hidden Agendas and Babylonian Intrigue.” Interventionism. 26:1. Spring. [1]
Doyle, Michael W. 2006. “Sovereignty and Humanitarian Military Intervention.” Columbia University. [2]
Flynn-Burhoe, Maureen. 2007. Benign colonialism. << speechless. Uploaded January 14th. [3]
Kurtz,Stanley. 2003.”Lessons from the British in India.” Democratic Imperialism: A Blueprint. Policy Review. [4]
Liu, Henry C. K. 2003. “China: a Case of Self-Delusion: Part 1: From colonialism to confusion.” Asia Times. May 14. [5]
Mill, John Stuart. 1844. "Essays on some Unsettled Questions of Political Economy." [6]
Mill, John Stuart. “A Few Words on Nonintervention.” 1973. In Gertrude Himmelfarb, Ed. Essays on Politics and Culture. Gloucester: Peter Smith. pp. 368-84. --oceanflynn 18:37, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
