Title: Impacts of European Imperialism in Africa - History Crunch - History Articles, Summaries, Biographies, Resources and More
Headings: IMPACTS OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA
IMPACTS OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA
EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA OVERVIEW
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA
NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA
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Content: These impacts have affected the economic, social and political life for Africans.​
One of the main negative impacts of European imperialism in Africa was the destruction of African traditions, culture and languages in favor of European traditions, culture and languages. For instance, the European people of the 19th century were ethnocentric and did not value the customs or traditions of the other groups of people that they encountered during the Age of Imperialism. For example, European colonists and settlers expressed a view of racial superiority over other groups. As such, European beliefs about their own supposed racial superiority helped inform their interactions with the people they encountered, including native Africans. The term that best relates to this concept is ‘ethnocentrism’, which is the concept of judging other cultures based upon the views of your own. Further to this idea is the concept of ‘eurocentrism’. Eurocentrism is similar to ethnocentrism but focuses specifically on Europeans and the views of superiority expressed in relation to the timeframe of imperialism. These Eurocentric beliefs were justified by European governments due to a concept called Social Darwinism. In short, Social Darwinism is the idea that some ethnic groups or races are superior to others and therefore more ‘fit’ to rule over those that are less ‘fit’.​
Together, these ethnocentric views by the major European powers of the time meant that European settlers in Africa generally suppressed native African traditions, customs and languages. For instance, while the European nations sometimes established schools and hospitals in their African colonies, these schools emphasized European culture over African culture.