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Unanswered Questions
Here are some questions that I’m currently thinking about. Anyone who answers one gets a cookie. Seriously, if anyone has any sources or theories that can answer one of these questions, it will be greatly appreciated.
1. What is hegemony?
2. Is hegemony relative?
3. What is modernization?
4. Is it possible to modernize without westernizing?
5. What were the root causes of the decline of Muslim Spain?
6. Why were Iberian Christians the first to expand outwardly instead of the rest of Europe?
7. What was the relationship between the Genoese and Iberian Expansionist states?
8. What was the Muslim world’s reaction to the decline of Spain? Did any Muslim polities help (why or why not?)
9. Did Iberian (Portuguese) penetration of the spice trade assist in the decline of the Ottoman Empire?
10. Why didn’t any Muslim countries (or non-Muslim non-Western) powers become a strong naval power?
11. Why didn’t China, in spite of being the foremost technologically and scientifically advanced region in the 1300s not become a hegemonic power?
12. How much of the Native American population die off in relation to European expansion?
13. Why did the Ottoman, Mughal, and Safavid states all collapse around the same time?
14. Why did the industrial revolution occur in England and not other European states that were proto-capitalist and protestant (Netherlands, France, Italian city-states)
15. What is science/technology and how does Western development of it differ from Islamic, Indic, African, and Asian concepts of knowledge.
16. Why did Western Europe take over the world-system as opposed to any other peripheral region such as Africa, Scandinavia, Japan, etc.
17. Why were certain countries able to modernize/industrialize so rapidly in the post-colonial era (Japan, the Asian tigers, Turkey)
18. When did the industrial revolution begin and why?
19. If the industrial revolution is the root cause of European imperialism in the non-American world (i.e. India, Muslim world, and East Asia), then why were countries where the industrial revolution didn’t occur able to expand (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands)
20. Why does Western culture continue to dominate world affairs in spite of the end of colonialism.
21. Why did America become a hegemon and no other country in the Americas (Mexico, Brazil, Canada)
22. When did capitalism actually begin?
23. Why did Iberian hegemony decline and get replaced by Anglo-Franco-Dutch hegemony?
24. Did naval power precede capitalism or vice versa?
25. If the destruction of Baghdad by the Mongols and Bubonic plague was the root cause of the decline of the Muslim world, then why did other hegemonic powers form in the Muslim world (Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal, Egyptian under Muhammad Ali, Aceh Sultanate)
26. Why did the North African economy contract in the 1200s and did this effect the decline of Muslim Spain?
27. What are the different theories of causation?
28. Why did mysticism dominate over the “rationalist” tradition in the Muslim world?
29. Why am I secretly attracted to men with long beards (okay, thats a joke. i just wanted to see if you paid attention)
Sphere: Related ContentPublished April 30, 2008 . Filed under: Colonialism
Posts
Allahu Alim
May 4, 2008 @ 2:14 am
In response to the unanswered questions the one thing I would say is that in addition to hegemony you should ask what is thallosocracy. Okay, it’s a big word for overwhelming naval power. In other words, this is the answer you are seeking. Interestingly it was the ability at this time to sail into the wind that had been lacking which fueled the Portuguese and the Spanish empires. Also, it is interesting that Prince Henry used the Arab dhow’s lateen sail as the way to accomplish this goal. Look into it. You’ll see.
May 7, 2008 @ 8:05 am
Nice batch of questions.
Here’s a question:
- Was the containment policy terminated at the end of Cold War, or did it intend to have an influence in the future?
May 8, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
F. Brunelle,
I’ve never heard of that term. I’ll definitely look into it. Is there a specific source (thinker, book, journal, or article) you’d recommend? I know there’s a general theory of the superiority of naval power written by Admiral Mcmahan (sp?).
In terms of the Portuguese and Spanish empires, I’ve tried to draw connections between the Reconquista and Muslim ships, but I haven’t come across concrete information. Most of the sources I’ve looked into indicate that it was Genoese ships. If you have any sources, I’d definitely appreciate it!
May 9, 2008 @ 4:26 am
Adnan Jalaal,
I would say that the concept of a containment policy continued beyond the Cold War, but it was redirected towards rising hegemons.
May 9, 2008 @ 4:27 am