"Laissez-faire"

J. Galagher and R. Robinson wrote on « the imperialism of Free Trade » especially on how brithish managed their economy . The expression they imployed “the imperialism of Free Trade” called many debates but now I would like to focus on the politic of “laissez-faire” which is mentioned many time in the paper and that I would like to understand more.
Literally, “laissez-faire” is a French expression which means “let them do as they want.” The phrase is often associated to the concept of free trade. Like I explained in an earlier blog posting free trade is the opening of commerce or trade in an international perspective without any kind of restriction meaning a product move freely anywhere in the world. Then if we associated “laissez faire” to free trade it would mean that there is a kind of liberty in trade. In fact, Free Trade is said to be the economic expression of “laissez-faire.”To better explain myself, if we consider any country for example, applying the politic of “laissez-faire” will be not to intervene in any other countries commerce matters. That is actually what the British did. This politic and also being non-interventionist lead the British to the top in term of commerce during the century before 1914.

British Imperialism or Not

The text is a counter response to the idea of british policy in relation to overseas trade and investment discussed by Gallagher and Robinson. Through the laters, British policy has always been "to create complementary satellite economies supplying raw materials and food, and opening markets in return for manufactured goods." To insure this, British authorities would establish a "policy of commercial hegemony in the interest of high politics, or of the use of informal political supremacy in the interest of commercial interprise"as of what both writers claimed have seen happening in the British relations in South America. The author would deny these claims and certify British intensions always remained "to encourage stable government as good investement risks... protection... to British interests threatened in civil disturbances... Naval officers and diplomats were instructed to preserve complete neutrality." The text then moves to examples pulled from trade in china. The author cited that chinese had refused British company plans to construct an in land railway, which ended not being built and nothing was done against the decision. The author further explains that violences that proceeded the opening of chinese ports to world trade and the priveleged position of British trade and finance in the area brings a misleading image in the minds of people. 

Ma bad,I ment: How can a deeply connected world cope with economic down turn?

Movie Q

How can a deeply connected world cope with economic domination? Claims are that one third of the world is socialist, there still exists problems between socialism and capitalism and to what level a countries govrnment should or can intervene in economics. An example from the movie was when germany opted for free market while others opted for planned. Differences exist between different countries and governments. In a time where countries are very linked and what affects one will eventually affect another, how will decisions be taken to resolve global problems with the existant differences?

Economic differences

After the film session of thursday i tried to summarise what i got from the movie. And i had one question that came to my mind which answer could help me and maybe other student to understand better what was happening.
"What are the main differences between economy in a capitalist nation and economy in a socialist nation?"

Is Yoruba Religion African

For:
Name Yoruba is African
Religion they follow has african roots
Dietes have african names
Religion includes African fetishism statues
Drumming in ceremonies

Against:
African concept in new world (not from the continent)
Would never have existed in africa (has ocidental influences)
Catholic features
Form of nationalism

Is Yoruba Culture/Ethnicity African

For:
Originates from Africa (Yoruba in Nigeria)
Original culture, since was first existant in Africa
Become Yoruba by birth


Against:
Can become Yoruba through initiation


Is Yoruba Language African

For:
Only one yoruba language existes
originates from Africa
Spoken by Africans

Against:
?????

"Yoruba-ness"

Yoruba ethnicity, Yoruba culture and Yoruba language

Is the “Yoruba ethnicity/culture” African?
Yes
-The name is African.
-It is practiced by Africans.
-It has similarities with other African ethnicities/culture.
No
-People living outside Africa claimed their “Yoruba-ness”.
-The ethnicity/culture exits out of Africa.


Is the Yoruba Language African?
Yes
-It is spoken by Africans.
-The name is African.
-It is known to have been spoken first in Africa.
No
-It is spoken out of Africa.
-It is spoken by non-Africans.

"Yoruba religion"

The piece of paper we read talks about the “yoruba religion” in fact how it was born and how it was spread. Stephan Palmié tells us that to understand better what the “Yoruba religion” is actually we have to go back to the history of slavery when Africans were taken to South America. At that time, for slaves not to forget where they were coming from, they used to be named according to the place they left (by force). Consequently, the Yoruba coming from Nigeria received the name lugumi as recognition. Then along the time, slaves were not only receiving this title because of their origin but somehow people could become “lugumi” after a ritual ceremony. They started becoming more and more numerous in South America. However they needed to play an instrument during their ceremonies but the government at that time had forbidden them to do so. However, they finally obtained back the right to use it later and continued. More people were converting even whites and mulattos. And it also spread to the United States of America and in Nigeria. Nevertheless, Stephan Palmié emphasize that this is the result of many people from Nigeria who were looking for their own identity.

Yoruba and Lucumi

Globalization is looked at in the use of the word "Lucumi" in Cuba to describe the various inhabitants of African descent. When asked his background, No Remigio replied "born African descent, nationality Lucumi." The idea idea of Lucumi is in itself global. It tells us of the movement of Africans into the Americas, specifically Cuba. The primary national identity given to or attached to slaves was Lucumi. In a documentary record Lopez Valdes "counted no less than 137 variations" such as lucumi egguado, lucumi ifa, lucumi zeza and the list continues. The word Lucumi also served to cover "African ethnic or cultural content." The term "Yoruba" often discussed by the Samuel Johnson had some if not most of the same functioning as the later.

The reading looks at the progression of exotic foods from exotic to ordinary everyday commodities. The reading analyses how foreign goods take meaning in different aspects of life, rituals, ceremonies and etc... The term "inside" is coined to refer to changes of meanings within rituals, schedules inside and outside the meal. Hospitality was used as an example. The way new foods are integrated to hospitality, or the phenomen of the marriage cake serve as more specific examples. As for the wedding cake, it became a good of higher status but did not have a changing impact on the ritual of marriage. The same can be said of candles at important events.
The text also goes further into analysis of the social context of sugar. The rich and powerful took great pleasure in sugar, which showed social validation, affiliation and distinction. At the same period, sugar was believed to have medical qualities.
Going back and deeper into sugar prices. The earliest recorded prices (1264) ranged from one to two chillings per pound. It would later drop to three to four pence per pound. Overproduction would later keep prices low.
Through various happenings people came to believe that lower prices would result in lower profits "without any compensation in the form of increased sales." Mosely and George Potter argued demmand should increase as people believe in widespread benefits of sugar.
-In efforts to improve conditions of slaves, humanitatrians improved conditions by enforcing standards of feeding to slaves. It did not imporove the quota much considering the amount commanded was still fairly low and measures were not taken to follow that slave owners followed through. Some slave owners still would go without feeding their slaves, or require that they grow their own food on sundays and saturdays.

Sugar Trade

Free trade is an expression employed to express define a commerce which is actually operated without any kind of restriction. We are talking about restriction like places where a product cannot reach because of arrangements maybe or again high prices. Then if we link this to sugar trade that would mean that any producer of sugar could now export his sugar anywhere in the world without any restrictions.
Sugar’s “free” trade occurs after slave abolition in European colonies. At that time, British had arrangements with their fellow planters in colonies. As a matter of fact, the only ones allowed to provide sugar to England were British producers in the Caribbean. This was aimed to prevent other powers at that time to become more powerful by selling sugar to British. Unfortunately, free trade broke these arrangements. British were depending more and more of sugar trade for its consumption and the money it was making for the government so that they could no more rely on their first arrangements.
Free trade was not profitable to British producers. Besides the fact that they were now obliged to find out a new way to have labor they now had to face competition with the “world’s cheapest sugar.”

Sugar Movement

Sidney W. Mintz in his book « the Sweetness of Power » studies the history of sugar and how it became so popular in the whole world. Why was sugar so popular? Mintz said it is because of sweetness. As a matter of fact, everybody does like sweetness even if it is not the same way. Mintz even tried in the first chapter of his book to find out why and how do people like sweetness. Apart from that, we can notice that there is something global about sugar. In class we came up with a definition of globalization as a movement of goods, information or ideas, and finally people. Let us see then how can sugar be relevant when we talk about globalization.
Coming from the south Pacific, sugar was made in the Caribbean region for British consumption and other European countries. Therefore, sugar moved all around the world and today almost everybody consumes sugar at least once per day. Then sugar was not transported from the south Pacific to other places, but it is the idea of it. Some people saw it, came back with the idea of sugar and started producing it in the Caribbean. Finally, sugar was made in the Caribbean by slaves deported from Africa and other places. Sugar fabrication therefore implied a movement of goods, information, and people.

sweetness and power : 1 and 2

In the reading food is examined in its social meaning. The text claims that when "unfamiliar substances are taken up by new users, they enter into pre-existing social and psychological contexts." Sugar was used to demonstrate this concept. Sugar as it first entered into the British diet was reserved to the wealthiest and nobles. So this would result as the social meaning of foods in England. However, with time (by 1900), it entered the diet of the everyday worker supplying 1/5 of the calories obtained. The text goes further into the analysis of a concept seemingly even more global. In citing this concept the text examines the eating habits of an African tribe, the Bemba. Bemba meals consist of (ubwali) a semi-sollide paste (made of millet), some what like gellitin, and a sauce (umunani) consisting of vegetables, meat, fish, mushrooms and or insects. To the Bemba, ubwali is the only food actually qualified as real food, making a proper meal. Grilled maize, fruits, berries etc... were never considered filling. The sauce had the function to: one, make the ubwali easy to swallow and two, give it variant tastes. The ubwali alone would not be interesting to eat and too monotone. The text outlines that often different peoples "subsist on some principal carbohydrate" with some complement to it. More examples are "tortillas, rice, potatoes, bread, taro, yams [and] manioc cakes".
Another subject analysed is the general liking for sugar. To this the text explains and cites the general want of people for the sweetest and ripest fruits. Or again the milk people receive as babies which is in part sugary as leading a base for the liking to sugar.
In chapter two the origin of sugar itself is traced. It was first domesticated in New Guinea and followed to the Philipines, India, and possibly Indonesia. It follows up into the creation of sugar itself from sugar cane to sugar crystals. After the sugar is pressed and the juice extracted is bioled till saturerated (turning into crystals). This process of cultivation and processing was introduced in Europe by the Arabs through conquest. The text then goes into the sugar industry from the colonies which considerably brought down the price of the good along with tobacco.

Culture and the Copy : Response

Lara Kriegal looks into the culture of the calico industry in England in the early eighteenth century through the nineteenth century. Calico, Indian in origin, was domesticated by the English. It soon came to being replicated in the provinces, which printed designs using the roller, produced much faster than the block used in the city. The provinces came to shade the industry in the city. Parliament established a three-month copyright on printed designs in 1794. Printers in the city however, were not satisfied and argued for an extension to the copyright. Given arguments for the extension of the copyright are:
- Honest printers found themselves at the mercy of pirates who could copy designs at incredible speed. One dress design was claimed to have been copied in just eight days following its release in the market.
- Present copyright was pointless when it takes about a year to determine the success of a design.
- French industrialization would pose a threat to the British dominance
- In France since 1730, design copyright went from one year to the life of the designer.
- Designers are no longer as inspired when knowing their design may be stolen and profit gained by another without punishment.
- Original designers (ones in the city) employed more people.
- “Farce, ballad, or waltz, enjoyed a twenty-year copyright” but calicoes only three.
- “Stronger copyright would engender an English style.”
Arguments against the copyright extension by the so-called pirates include:
- legal to a laissez faire market
- “advocates of extension …[establish a] monopoly”
- Extension will bring an increase in prices
- Extension would place England at an unequal level with other competitors
- Extension applies to local designers but leaves out foreign competitors who will profit from this
- “Patterns did not fall within the domain of art” when observing that one designer could create six to eight patterns a day, just rearranging already existing designs
- “impossible, to decide when originality in design ended, and copying commenced.”
In August 1843, the English parliament extended the copyright of industrial design to nine months.
Both sides made a strong points, especially those against extension in their argument claiming how impossible it would be to establish where original finishes and copying starts. But at the same time it’s an apparent truth that the copying frenzy halts development of the industry. The way the industry works (how new patterns are created) is complicated as opposed to other artistic jobs like literature or art, where the line separating copy is clear. If designs with flowers become popular, it is expected that everybody will want to produce some, but is it copying when people are following a tendency???

Piracy

Lara Kriegel’s paper «Culture and the Copy » as its name says it talks about how the phenomena of copying starting and how it affected industry especially in calicoes’ industries. Calicoes are cottons printed very appealing to women which are normally from India and had known a big success in Europe in countries like England for Instance so that British even started making them there. The originality of calicoes and what actually made them so appreciated is the design printed on them. These designs are made by artists manually who sells them. However, there are pirates when noticing that a design is successful, copy them with machines printers and sell them cheaper than original ones. Therefore, some people to face this problem propose to increase the length of copyright which an amount of time while the creator of a design has the exclusivity of it.
The problem of copying is still a problem today with pirates although there are many severe laws against pirates. And since pirates are all over the world nowadays it is difficult to fight against this. Consumers are also part of the problem. As a matter of facts pirates will still be until there will be people who prefers buying things cheaper. And those who suffer the most from that are artists and creators.
In my opinion this is also a consequence of the globalization phenomena. More and more, people want or need things that cannot be found where they live. Therefore, they have two choices. Either they buy the original one coming from abroad with all taxes that will increase the price or they choose to pay the “fake” one which is homemade and cheaper. For example it is because Fifty Cent is known worldwide (which can be linked to globalization) that people want to buy his albums everywhere and that his albums get pirated.

History of European Trade

The two parts of Philip D. Curtin talks about how European came into maritime trade, and why they somehow succeeded. Their success was due to the fact that they learned to use different winds on the sea to get where they wanted to go. Also because of pirates on the sea, they have to find a solution to avoid or to affront them. For example some like the Portuguese agreed to protect other ships in exchange of some money. Therefore they made the Asians merchants were obliged to pay the Portuguese in order o sail without troubles. This is why the Portuguese became the first trading power on the sea. As a matter of facts they were trading and offering protection at the same which made them powerful. After the Portuguese, the Dutch and British also start trading on Asian seas and the Dutch even happened to be very effective because of the Vereenidge Oostinsche Company, the Dutch East Asian company or VOC. Just to say that among the world during the sixteenth century Europeans country were the biggest industrial power on seas.

Portuguese asian trade

Portuguese brought, starting in the 1480s a new system of trade in asia. They established, beyond some ports, a system of protection to secure their ships in the asian trade regions and also sold this protective system to the asian traders. They also installed taxes for the transit of goods on ports dominated by them. The tax was first established at 6 percent but would later rise to 10. At the origin, the intention was to creat a monopoly of the asian trade but it would not work. The majority of the european ships would be used to transit goods within the asian trade area because of the important risk of long distance travel from and back to europe. However, portuguese culture left an important impact in the asian trade in which one is the wide spread of portuguese as the used trade language intill english later came to dominte. Efforts to repress muslims influence in the area were vain. The asian trade shows a large interconnected system of exchange of goods and people throughout asia before and after portuguese intervention which remained fairly narrow compared to the projected control intended.