A question to Niall Ferguson-- did slavery and Colonialism of 'Christian' West not devavour the Rest?
India has the oldest surviving religion of the world and a billion plus population being moved by it in search of the material and spiritual. The 'Reniassance' led by Papal authorities encouraging and actively canvassing slave trading, and Colonialism of all non-European cultures was the bane of humanity and Humanism.
Later the onslaught of proselytizing 'Christianity' subsumed under Rome the singular right to be 'Christian Church'. Even now the Christianity is projected as a Western religion, which is not true--neither Jesus nor the earliest practioners were Western. It was the Byzantium and the Eastern Church as also the Syrian Christians and other Eastern strains that propagated Christianity as non-racist. But the dominance of Roman Church (and later Anglican Church in Colonies like India) brought about a racial stranglehold of Christianity and it did not dither in making Western White 'Christian' Man as a model of the 'Humanity' while helping to decimate other cultures in Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa.
I rebut Niall Ferguson's
"The voyages of exploration were the dawn of Racialism and Colonialism. In the year 1600, the Indian economy amounted to 22.54 per cent of the world GDP, whileBritain and Western Europe 's combined economies amounted to 21.82 per cent. By 1870, India 's share was down to 12.25 per cent, while in Western Europe it increased to 32.71%. At its prosperous best Mughal Empire produced 24.5% of world GDP in the year 1700. By the time British colonists occupied India
It is clear West climbed over the bodies of the Rest to attain material surpluses that through Cos like East India Company ushered in development of West from the loot of the Rest.
The complete lack of moral unease of subjugating so many and killing so many through slave shipping, indentured labour, Colonization and a Church that helped in these grand venture of the West is what Ferguson's book tries to white wash. The writings of likes of Ferguson are unabashed revival of Colonialism in the garb of (partisan) academics of the West. His arguments smack of blatant racism. But so much is dark and gory under the white loaded brush of West that Ferguson can not whitewash it.
Later the onslaught of proselytizing 'Christianity' subsumed under Rome the singular right to be 'Christian Church'. Even now the Christianity is projected as a Western religion, which is not true--neither Jesus nor the earliest practioners were Western. It was the Byzantium and the Eastern Church as also the Syrian Christians and other Eastern strains that propagated Christianity as non-racist. But the dominance of Roman Church (and later Anglican Church in Colonies like India) brought about a racial stranglehold of Christianity and it did not dither in making Western White 'Christian' Man as a model of the 'Humanity' while helping to decimate other cultures in Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa.
I rebut Niall Ferguson's
Civilization: The West and the Rest
self-gloating Western superiority hereunder from my book Mona Lisa does not smile anymore (ISBN 978-81-8465-512"The voyages of exploration were the dawn of Racialism and Colonialism. In the year 1600, the Indian economy amounted to 22.54 per cent of the world GDP, while
It is clear West climbed over the bodies of the Rest to attain material surpluses that through Cos like East India Company ushered in development of West from the loot of the Rest.
The complete lack of moral unease of subjugating so many and killing so many through slave shipping, indentured labour, Colonization and a Church that helped in these grand venture of the West is what Ferguson's book tries to white wash. The writings of likes of Ferguson are unabashed revival of Colonialism in the garb of (partisan) academics of the West. His arguments smack of blatant racism. But so much is dark and gory under the white loaded brush of West that Ferguson can not whitewash it.
Black Mona Lisa painting by Viktor Vijay
No comments:
Post a Comment