Die rol van kolonialisme in historiese ontwikkeling

Abstract

The article deals with some problems regarding the work of those historian s who try to evaluate the effects of modern Western colonialism on the colonized territories o f Asia and Africa. It is argued that the political, economical, social, cultural and religious consequences have all to be taken in to account and that, depending on the historian's philosophical or ideological view point, certain consequences will be con s id ere d more important than others. Some aspects of a Christian view of history, involving colonialism as a historical phenomenon, are discussed. It is pointed out that the development of societies has always been thoroughly influenced by cultural interchange which has taken place among different societies. Colonialism has always been an important factor in the process by which societies have influenced one another, providing an essential part of the process of historical development.