Anthropological Perspectives on the Processes of Colonialism Free Essay Example, 1500 words

In The Empire s Old Clothes: Fashioning the Colonial Subject, Jean Comaroff discusses one of the colonial processes that fall under Pels second description of the anthropological view of colonialism: clothing. Clothes have always been a basic human need, but until the start of the colonial era, there was no common standard used to determine the type and number of clothes a human being should wear. In the modern era, clothing is a major component of ethnographic studies; this was not the case before the colonial period. For example, prior to the advent of colonialism, the Tswana peoples of Southern Africa wore minimalist clothing that left them mostly naked (Comaroff Comaroff 2009: 20). In reality, they were not in desperate need of better clothes because their culture made them feel comfortable in their ways. British colonialists used clothing as a platform for commoditizing the Tswana community by creating the impression that acceptable attire had to be bought, not fashioned out o f basic materials and worn (Comaroff Comaroff 2009: 21). In addition, the Tswana were compelled to move away from a liberalized way of dressing to a one-dimensional style that was restricted to suit colonialists commercial interests. We will write a custom essay sample on Anthropological Perspectives on the Processes of Colonialism or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page