HED4805
ASSIGNMENT 3
DUE DATE: 10 AUGUST 2026
,HED4805 ASSIGNMENT 3 2026
DUE 10 AUGUST 2026
Question 1: Colonialism, Coloniality and Post-Colonial Africa
1.1 Define "colonialism" in your own words.
Colonialism refers to the political and economic system whereby a foreign power
establishes control over another territory and its people, exploiting their resources and
labour while imposing its own governance structures, laws, and culture. It involves direct
political domination where the sovereignty of a nation or people rests on the power of
another nation, making the subjugated nation an empire or colony of the coloniser. As
Maldonado-Torres explains in the extract, colonialism designates "political and
economic relations in which the power of a people rests on a foreign colonial/imperial
power" (Seroto, Davids & Wolhuter, 2020, p. 2 of extract).
1.2 How does Maldonado-Torres explain the concept of coloniality?
Maldonado-Torres explains coloniality as "institutionalised colonialism" that is, colonial
practices expressed in a longstanding pattern of culture, social relations, and knowledge
production that continues long after formal colonial administration has ended. Coloniality
refers to the persistence of colonial power structures in everyday life, including cultural
patterns, common sense, self-image, and knowledge production, even after political
independence has been achieved.
1.3 Explain the difference between colonialism and coloniality. (5)
The key difference between colonialism and coloniality lies in temporality and scope:
, Aspect Colonialism Coloniality
Definition Political and economic relations Longstanding patterns of power
of direct foreign domination resulting from colonialism
Duration Ends with formal political Outlasts colonialism; continues
independence indefinitely
Manifestation Territorial control, Culture, labour relations,
administration, laws intersubjective relations, knowledge
production
Visibility Overt and officially documented Often subtle, embedded in common
sense and daily practices
Examples British rule in India, Dutch rule Eurocentric curricula, racial
at the Cape hierarchies, Western knowledge as
universal
Colonialism is the historical event of foreign occupation and direct rule, while coloniality
is the afterlife of colonialism, the persistent structures of power, knowledge, and being
that continue to shape formerly colonised societies. As the extract notes, coloniality
refers to "institutionalised colonialism, for example colonial practices, expressed in a
longstanding pattern of culture, social relations and knowledge production" (Seroto et
al., 2020, p. 2 of extract).
1.4 Sketch the sociohistorical background of colonialism and coloniality in the
South African context. (10)
Colonialism in South Africa (1652-1994):
The colonial period in South Africa began in 1652 when the Dutch East India Company
(DEIC) established a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope under Jan van
Riebeeck. This marked the beginning of white settlement and the dispossession of
indigenous Khoi and San peoples. The British took control of the Cape in 1795 and
ASSIGNMENT 3
DUE DATE: 10 AUGUST 2026
,HED4805 ASSIGNMENT 3 2026
DUE 10 AUGUST 2026
Question 1: Colonialism, Coloniality and Post-Colonial Africa
1.1 Define "colonialism" in your own words.
Colonialism refers to the political and economic system whereby a foreign power
establishes control over another territory and its people, exploiting their resources and
labour while imposing its own governance structures, laws, and culture. It involves direct
political domination where the sovereignty of a nation or people rests on the power of
another nation, making the subjugated nation an empire or colony of the coloniser. As
Maldonado-Torres explains in the extract, colonialism designates "political and
economic relations in which the power of a people rests on a foreign colonial/imperial
power" (Seroto, Davids & Wolhuter, 2020, p. 2 of extract).
1.2 How does Maldonado-Torres explain the concept of coloniality?
Maldonado-Torres explains coloniality as "institutionalised colonialism" that is, colonial
practices expressed in a longstanding pattern of culture, social relations, and knowledge
production that continues long after formal colonial administration has ended. Coloniality
refers to the persistence of colonial power structures in everyday life, including cultural
patterns, common sense, self-image, and knowledge production, even after political
independence has been achieved.
1.3 Explain the difference between colonialism and coloniality. (5)
The key difference between colonialism and coloniality lies in temporality and scope:
, Aspect Colonialism Coloniality
Definition Political and economic relations Longstanding patterns of power
of direct foreign domination resulting from colonialism
Duration Ends with formal political Outlasts colonialism; continues
independence indefinitely
Manifestation Territorial control, Culture, labour relations,
administration, laws intersubjective relations, knowledge
production
Visibility Overt and officially documented Often subtle, embedded in common
sense and daily practices
Examples British rule in India, Dutch rule Eurocentric curricula, racial
at the Cape hierarchies, Western knowledge as
universal
Colonialism is the historical event of foreign occupation and direct rule, while coloniality
is the afterlife of colonialism, the persistent structures of power, knowledge, and being
that continue to shape formerly colonised societies. As the extract notes, coloniality
refers to "institutionalised colonialism, for example colonial practices, expressed in a
longstanding pattern of culture, social relations and knowledge production" (Seroto et
al., 2020, p. 2 of extract).
1.4 Sketch the sociohistorical background of colonialism and coloniality in the
South African context. (10)
Colonialism in South Africa (1652-1994):
The colonial period in South Africa began in 1652 when the Dutch East India Company
(DEIC) established a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope under Jan van
Riebeeck. This marked the beginning of white settlement and the dispossession of
indigenous Khoi and San peoples. The British took control of the Cape in 1795 and
