Cultural Syncretism
This paper is not complete but as I get it completed I will add it.
General Goal of Assignment: The overall goal of this assignment is to formulate a comparison between the syncretism that occurred in Africa and in the Americas when different cultural groups met (i.e. Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans) WITH the resistance to cultural change Westerners encountered in China and India. Basically, you are assessing some specific consequences of the increasing global contact that began during the 1400s and 1500s. You must ultimately make an argument regarding why some regions of the world (i.e. Africa, the Americas) experienced cultural syncretism with Westerners both earlier and to a greater degree than did other regions (China and India).
Question 1: first offer examples of syncretism or resistance to syncretism in all four regions and then discuss what cultural factors in each of the four regions made each one more or less receptive to Western influence. Things to think about when discussing resistance to syncretism: What types of cultural exchange …show more content…
The Jesuits and scientists of the Western world educated themselves to be able to have knowledge with which to impress the Chinese and to be able to peacefully influence their beliefs. These early dealings gained Chinese respect but China gained distrust of Western influence some 200 years later because of the pirating and importing of opium into the country. This led to much Chinese resistance of the Westerner’s. However, Western trade was still able to flourish despite the opium trade, which created an “unconscious” influencing of the Chinese by learning Western ways and manners of life, trade, and government. The distrust was gradually overcome after many years with the influence of the missionaries who started schools and hospitals in China (Resistance,
General Goal of Assignment: The overall goal of this assignment is to formulate a comparison between the syncretism that occurred in Africa and in the Americas when different cultural groups met (i.e. Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans) WITH the resistance to cultural change Westerners encountered in China and India. Basically, you are assessing some specific consequences of the increasing global contact that began during the 1400s and 1500s. You must ultimately make an argument regarding why some regions of the world (i.e. Africa, the Americas) experienced cultural syncretism with Westerners both earlier and to a greater degree than did other regions (China and India).
Question 1: first offer examples of syncretism or resistance to syncretism in all four regions and then discuss what cultural factors in each of the four regions made each one more or less receptive to Western influence. Things to think about when discussing resistance to syncretism: What types of cultural exchange …show more content…
The Jesuits and scientists of the Western world educated themselves to be able to have knowledge with which to impress the Chinese and to be able to peacefully influence their beliefs. These early dealings gained Chinese respect but China gained distrust of Western influence some 200 years later because of the pirating and importing of opium into the country. This led to much Chinese resistance of the Westerner’s. However, Western trade was still able to flourish despite the opium trade, which created an “unconscious” influencing of the Chinese by learning Western ways and manners of life, trade, and government. The distrust was gradually overcome after many years with the influence of the missionaries who started schools and hospitals in China (Resistance,