As colonialism often played out in pre-populated
areas, sociocultural evolution included the creation of various ethnically hybrid populations. Colonialism gave rise to culturally and ethnically mixed populations such as those of the Americas, as well as racially divided populations as found in French Algeria or Southern Rhodesia. In fact everywhere where Colonial powers established a consistent and continued presence hybrid communities existed. History of colonialism
Colonialism has a long history, which starts with the
pre colonial African empires which lead to the Egyptian, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans who all built colonies in antiquity. The word "metropole" comes from the Greek metropolis , which meant "mother city". The word "colony" comes from the Latin colonia—"a place for agriculture". History of colonialism
Modern colonialism started with the Age of
Discovery. Portugal and Spain discovered new lands across the oceans and built trading posts or conquered large extensions of land. For some people, it is this building of colonies across oceans that differentiates colonialism from other types of expansionism. These new lands were divided between the Portuguese Empire and Spanish Empire. BRITSH -ERA
While British supremacy did not change the fact that
India was becoming rapidly urbanized, it did lead to new alignments and priorities, since the controlling power was now different. A number of new towns and new suburbs were built to house the British, and the pattern of new town planning changed. India was still divided into administrative districts as under the Mughals, and the towns which functioned as district headquarters were the ones where most of the new architecture was built. BRITISH ERA
In the main the effort was to physically and socially
separate the Europeans from the indigenous populace – the so-called ‘White’ and ‘Black’ towns of Madras being an example. This being done an effort, though sometimes belated, was also made to enforce sanitary and developmental guidelines on the old towns, though these had little effect as in the main they failed to take into account traditional ways of community life. In some cases new urban design smacked of retribution – Delhi and Lucknow in particular, being the centers of the Mutiny of 1857, lost large parts of their historic areas to new British planning and city-core demolitions. BRITISH ERA
The army was accommodated in a nearby area called the
cantonment or camp. The British lived mostly inside the fort area, including the actual fort and the strongly defended area around it, sometimes called the civil lines. Here they built their homes, shops, and churches as well as their commercial and administrative headquarters, with some variations, since Fort William had few residential settlements while Fort St George was a veritable city in itself. BRITISH ERA
In some cities, where the British presence was great,
very large areas of cantonment and civil lines were established alongside pre-existing Indian cities. Delhi, Bangalore, and Secunderabad, (adjoining Hyderabad) are examples. In other cities where the British presence was minimal, (e.g., Ahmedabad) the cantonment was proportionately smaller and it housed civilian as well as military personnel. PORTUGUESE ERA
Tangasseri is a city located along the coast of Ancient
malabar. The portuguese were the first Europeans to appear in this port of Malabar. In the following years Coullam became an important centre for trade of pepper. PRESENT CONTEXT
The Bombay Town Planning Act of 1915, the first town
planning legislation in India, gave the Bombay Municipal Corporation powers to prepare Town Planning Schemes for urban development or redevelopment and present them to the Governor in Council of the City of Bombay. It called for zoning, building regulations, acquisition of land for public purposes, and the collection of funds for local improvements. The need was felt especially strongly because of the chaotic growth of Bombay’s textile mills and the workers’ housing that surrounded them. PRESENT CONTEXT
The town planning schemes for restructuring and
bringing electricity and increased water supply and sewage lines to Jamalpur and Kankaria, areas just adjacent to and outside the walls of the old city, were generally popular and passed easily. On the west bank of the Sabarmati River, however, farmers objected to new development plans that took away their land. Depression in the 1930s and then World War II brought about a pause in Indian planning, as elsewhere. Types of Colonialism
Historians often distinguish between two overlapping forms
of colonialism: Settler colonialism involves large-scale immigration, often motivated by religious, political, or economic reasons. Exploitation colonialism involves fewer colonists and focuses on access to resources for export, typically to the metropole. This category includes trading posts as well as larger colonies where colonists would constitute much of the political and economic administration, but would rely on indigenous resources for labour and material. Prior to the end of the slave trade and widespread abolition, when indigenous labour was unavailable, slaves were often imported to the Americas, first by the Spanish Empire, and later by the Dutch, French and British. PRESENT CONTEXT
Town planning emerged in England as a response to the
problems posed by the industrial city in the 19th century. In India, the construction and reconstruction of cities for reasons of governance, and to reduce threats posed by epidemics, was more piece meal and partial, hampered by indifference to the problems of indigenous zones of the city, inadequate finances, and ineffective legal measures. By the 20th century, the influence of professional town planners, the growing nationalist interest in municipal politics, and the interventions of indigenous elites altered the scenario. Many Indian cities, however, continued to bear the marks of a legacy of cities divided on racial and class lines, and planned (or not planned) accordingly