Book 2: The Impact and Limitations of Colonialism - Glossary

From the book: Book 2: The Impact and Limitations of Colonialism commissioned by The Department of Education

abscond- to leave hurriedly and secretly to escape from custody or arrest

annex- add to one’s territory by taking without permission

archipelago- an extensive group of islands

chattel- a personal possession

chattel slavery- a system where one human being (the slave) was the legal property of another human being (the slave owner)

codify- organise procedures or rules into a written system or code

coerce- to persuade an unwilling person to do something by using force or threats

colonialism- the practice of acquiring political control over another country and (usually) exploiting it economically. Colonialism is a form of imperialism which was imposed by the powerful countries of Western Europe on many other parts of the world. It reached its peak in the late nineteenth century. In South Africa, the colonial period began with the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck in the Western Cape in 1652. The process of colonisation was ongoing, and was resisted by African peoples.

co-opt- to divert to a role different from the usual or original one

depose- to remove from office suddenly and with force

disintegrate- fall apart, crumble, come to an end

egalitarian- based on the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities; similar in wealth and status

ethnocentrism- an evaluation of other cultures on the basis of preconceptions arising from one’s own culture

franchise- the right to vote in public elections

humanitarian- a person concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare

imperialism- a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through colonisation, the use of military force, economic domination or other means. A powerful country (known as a metropole) dominates and exploits less powerful countries. Imperialism does not necessarily imply actual government by the metropole. The United States of America, for example, long dominated the countries of South America and parts of East Asia without ever exercising direct political control.

landrost- chief administrator of a district; magistrate

Maroon- Originally, this was the name of a group of black people descended from runaway slaves and living in Suriname and the West Indies. When slaves began to run away from the Cape Colony, the Dutch settlers applied the same name to them. The verb maroon means to abandon someone alone in an inaccessible place, especially an island

pidgin- a grammatically simplified form of a language with elements taken from local languages, used for communication between people not sharing a common language

placate- to calm, pacify or appease

pseudo- (prefix) false, not genuine; resembling or imitating

pseudoscience- a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method

Roman-Dutch legal system- a code of law that had its origin in the slave society of ancient Rome

sjambok- a long stiff whip originally made of rhinoceros hide

Social Darwinismis a pseudoscientific theory developed during the midnineteenth century by Western scholars to establish a hierarchy of humans. Africans were defined as racially inferior while Europeans were seen as superior, with a sophisticated or well-developed material culture

temperate- relating to or indicating a region or climate characterised by mild temperatures

victuals- (pron. vit'tels) food or provisions (origin: Latin victus, food)

wrought- (past tense of wring) brought about forcibly