In political science studies, it is not often that one reads of American Imperialism. The term imperialism is almost exclusively associated with colonial exploits of major European powers such as Britain, France and Germany in the West; and China and Japan in the East. Although a late joiner of the imperial club, the United States…
Category: History
Why is constitutional engineering crucial but difficult for the former communist countries?
When communism was imposed as the incontestable political doctrine at the culmination of the Second World War, many Eastern European nations set upon a new chapter in their respective histories. During the forty odd years as part of the Soviet Union a degree of economic, political and constitutional homogeneity was brought into this region, which…
David Irving: A Brief Profile
David Irving is one of the most controversial modern historians. Born in Britain in 1938, Irving has written many books about the Second World War and its leaders. For example, he has written detailed accounts of Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Goebbels, etc. In his books, he focussed on the military aspects of the war. But…
An open letter to Assata Shakur in response to her autobiography
Dear Assata Shakur, I would like to start by saying that your autobiography has had a profound effect on me. You will always remain an inspiration for generations of underprivileged groups as well as students like me. I was much impressed by the clarity of your thoughts and the rationale for your goals. The quality…
Lerone Bennett’s description of the three axial forces of African American life that enabled the community to survive slavery
One constant source of hope for the enslaved African Americans is the prospect of a blissful afterlife that the Christian doctrine offered. While the first generation of black slaves in America brought with them their native religious beliefs and practices, they were soon replaced by Christianity. The white slave owners instilled in their slaves the…
Does Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed accurately describe life in real plantations as documented by historian Lerone Bennett?
Octavia Butler sets her novel, Wild Seed in the context of the transatlantic slave trade and US slavery. In the story, Doro gathers “his people” on farms and plantations along the eastern seaboard. In what ways are Doro’s fictional communities similar to the real plantations described by historian Lerone Bennett (chapter 4 of Before the Mayflower…
Overview of Orientalism by Edward Said
Orientalism as a geo-political and sociological concept has attracted much controversy. It remains author Edward Said’s definitive work, alongside other titles such a The Question of Palestine and Covering Islam. Orientalism as a scholarly work is the combined study and analysis of Oriental “philology, linguistics, ethnography, and the interpretation of culture through the discovery, recovery,…
Is Max Weber’s analysis of the rise of modern society a “debate with the ghost of Karl Marx”?
Intellectuals such as Karl Marx and Max Weber have proposed important theories toward understanding the dynamics of societies. Marx’s ideas in particular have profoundly affected later generations of sociologists, including his compatriot Max Weber. Marx’s achievement lies in attempting to explain social situations and problems from the point of view of economic class of constituent…
How did Humanism affect Christian beliefs during the Renaissance?
Humanism is a school of thought in philosophy that is based upon established and emerging facts about human nature. Humanism, which flourished during the Italian Renaissance is largely secular in its composition, making no references to the unknown and the supernatural. But in the centuries that have gone by, it has been adopted into various…
The Mormon religion between the 1820s and 1840s
Mormonism is a new religion that emerged in early 19th century United States and has its roots in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Officially called the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints, the religion is founded on a disillusionment with existing denominations of Christianity. Joseph Smith is credited as the founder of the religion and it was…