Globalization and Columbus

Ingrid Hoopes

POLS 170 

4 May 2022

It was brought up today in class by a student that The Other by Tzvetan Todorov can be analyzed as a parallel between globalization today and the original conquest of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. Todorov analyzes passages from Columbus’ journal to get a better understanding of his reasoning and purpose for the discovery and colonization of the Americas. On page 8, he mentions that the sole purpose of the journey was greed, which is evident from Columbus’ texts, and the promise of gold was strong enough to venture across the uncharted world. This desire for the ability to trade and find values elsewhere can be connected to globalization today in terms of transnational trade, which has boosted the global economy to its level today. Columbus, his crew, and the backers of the expedition such as the Spanish monarchy, all had the hope of profit from establishing dominance in a new place. The process of globalization within the economy began as this interest in worldwide goods that are not available in their own respective states and only grew from this. 

Another aspect from Columbus’ conquest was his implementation of religion and he felt that it was his purpose to indoctrinate the people that he discovered in the Americas. His superiority that he felt over the indigenous people came from his self considered divine right to “improve them” as they had no similarities between cultures. Although he had no intention of assimilating with them, his interest in their culture and desire to “fix” them can be seen as a globalization concept today; the assimilation and mixture of cultures around the world are due to the travel of people over time influencing others, which causes cultures to merge and change over time. The introduction of Spanish culture to the Americas eventually led to the Americas that we have today which are culturally diverse and can be traced back. 

Although Columbus’ conquest is not the same as globalization today because it was not mutually beneficial for both the Spanish and the Natives, the motivation and purpose that he and the Spanish had for the journey is what motivates globalization through trade and cultures today. Todorov writes, “Columbus behaves as if a certain equilibrium were established between the two actions: The Spaniards give religion and take gold. (Todorov, 45)” His intention implies trade and dual benefits for both parties, which influences relationships between the two for the rest of time. Although realistically, this “trade” was not equal at all, as we know that there was slaughter, slaves, stealing, etc on behalf of the Spaniards, this beginning of a worldwide connection grew until we started calling it globalization today. Many people argue that globalization is a recent event, but I feel that this idea has been sparked by negotiations and agreements, along with the support of the media displaying the results. The origins of globalization came from the simple introduction of cultures and goods into other countries which eventually grew into the world as we know it today. 


Comments

  1. Cassie LawlerMay 5, 2022 at 12:04 PM

    I think it is really valuable how you highlighted one of the major caveats that come with globalization, this caveat being that with great power and diaspora comes inevitable bloodshed. I agree that globalization has its roots much farther back than many think, but in our modern world, the media and evolution of technology expedited a process that had already been occurring.

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  2. Jack CahalaneMay 6, 2022 at 6:06 PM

    I think you touch on a good point relative to the fine line between colonialism and globalization. Is the predatory encroachment of Western corporate conglomerates onto developing countries via globalization a facet of neocolonialism? I think it always important to remember the pitfalls which history displays in order to move towards a more conscientious future in order to learn from the mistakes of the past in order to never repeat them. I think your example of Christopher Columbus indirectly touches on this idea. Overall, I thought this was very good.

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