Colonial Cities in Southeast Asia - Essay Example

Colonial Cities in Southeast Asia Introduction: While it cannot be denied that there are very strong Western influences as well as changes that occurred in Southeast Asia due to colonization that started in the 16th century when a Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan first landed in Limasawa, Cebu bearing Spain's royal fleet (Zaide, 1993), these changes are not altogether beneficial and positive. In fact, a pattern has been observed by Dannheuser (1981) that points out the obvious effects of colonization. This essay shall try to establish the changes prior to colonization and after colonization for the city of Manila in the Philippines which was first colonized by Spain and later on, the United States and Japan. Discussion: Colonial Cities Colonial cities are the conquered trading ports basically by Europeans and later on Americans that are part of a country or nation which were heavily influenced with culture. In Southeast Asia, these may include Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Hong Kong and Saigon. Philippines Historically, the Philippines is rich in culture and tradition prior to the conquest of the Spaniards in the 16th century. Negritos or Aetas came to the area via land bridges during ice age, while the vast majority of Filipinos are believed to have come from Austronesians from Taiwan. Filipinos intermarried with its neighbouring races Indonesian and Malays and these mixes traded with Hindus from India, Chinese and the Arabs (Zaide, 1993). Trade has been established in most of its earlier ports including Cebu, Davao, Manila, and Dagupan. Doeppers (1972) called these coastal villages. While there had been proofs of a very early settlement in the Philippines, its coastal villages and river courses engaged in wet rice agriculture combined with hunting and fishing. The villages were fragmented and there were frequent inter-village fighting. Each village roughly made up of thirty to a hundred families make up the barangay headed by a datu or chief, followed in rank by the warriors, free men and slaves (Zaide, 1993). Intra-island trade were present and external trade is apparent with the presence of porcelains, knives and other items carried on from China, Brunei, or Japan. Larger communities were always identified long rivers and the coast (Robertson & Robertson, 1909). Philippine settlements in pre-Hispanic period were not at all cities such as Cebu which was a minor port call, and Manila or Maynilad which was a point of importation for the Tagalog living around Laguna de Bay (3) and it was also said that of the 2,000 Manila inhabitants, forty were Chinese and twenty were Japanese (Doeppers, 1972). In fact, due to its location at an outer extremity of the Southeast Asian insular, Philippines also remained more detached with its Southeast Asian neighbours so that Buddhism and Hinduism did not take roots, except for Islam in the south. Mindanao, nevertheless showed an integrated group of Muslims that were able to "defend themselves effectively" (Doeppers, 1972, p 771) and it remained culturally rich with Jolo as the seat of the Sultan of Sulu. Ming naval vessels also visited the area. Colonial Period The Colonial Era In 1564, an expedition set out from Nueva Espana or Mexico which was the fourth to exploit Magellan's discovery of the Pacific Indies. Ferdinand Legaspi, the expedition commander was commanded by the Royal Audiencia to spread the Roman Catholic faith and send back to Spain spices and wealth. Cebu, specifically the island of Panay, became Legaspi's choice of settlement. But unlike the South Americas, Manila had no gold or "easily exploitable wealth" (Doeppers, 1972, p 772). Instead, it was an established trade port that made Legaspi propose a trade with China. So, a move of the seat of operations became inevitable in 1571. Urbanisation started to occur only during the Spanish period where coastal villages were turned into coastal clusters or settlements with at least 10,000 engaged beyond agricultural activities. These are called ciudades for cities and villas for towns. Their purpose had been for strategic control of trade and colonial economy fully concentrated in Manila and its outport. Mission settlements called cabeceras or poblaciones are physical plans of "loose grid form(s) with a central plaza and an imposing church (Doeppers, 1972, p 769). The colonial policy recognized ethnic groups and there had been an effort to keep them separated from the government, church, and societies. He Spaniards and their retainers had the central areas and the peripherals were for the ethnic or native labour pool and Chinese traders. Internal trade and rise of agriculture commerce provided growth in Manila and other urbanising areas in the provinces so that the "last fifty years of Spanish rule saw increased economic transition to export-oriented commercial agriculture, accelerated immigration of Chinese, and important urban-port growth in secondary and even tertiary rank settlements," (Doeppers, 1972, p 770). Source: Doeppers, 1972. The ilustrados emerged at the end of the Spanish rule characterised by their economic position or land ownership, education and commercial activities while another group as small but economically significant groups of Chinese purveyors, small-scale credit managers and export agents, while its majority of masses are poor and exploited. Dannheuser (1981) proposed two models of dependence and interdependence in the free commercial interaction between the colonized and the colonizers, and as such, the following occurred: Local trade channels and indigenous entrepreneurs destroyed by capital-strong outsiders Exploitative relationship outside institutions where capitalists extract more than they invest then transfer profit out of the area. "The periphery is left decapitalized and its population impoverished," (p 131) Standardized and low priced products swamp the local market and replace indigenously produced items so that the cottage industry collapses and people are left without a choice but to till the land or do cheap labor Hype and elaborate marketing forces the poor to consumer unessential and even harmful products Diminished local autonomy and political self-determination Conclusion: Considering the positive and negative effect of colonialism, most evident effects can be observed in modern days as Philippines, still with its seat of power in Manila, which is also the capital for trade, culture and education, has recently emerged as the most corrupt country in Asia (Transparency International, 2007). If this has anything to do with colonialism, it could only be because there is a continuing gap between the exploited poor by the modern ilustrados who capitalize on their wealth and knowledge to keep the majority of the poor hardly recognised as hanging below the poverty line. CIA (2007) reported that the Philippines today has an estimated $5,000 annual GDP PPP per capita, but this is hardly recognizable as Manila portrays an aging, polluted and poverty-stricken city. Reference: CIA WordFactbook. (2007)."Philippines." Accessed from https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ Dannhaeuser, Norbert (1981). "Modernization of Distribution Channels and the Dependency Issue: Consequences of Interregional Commerce in North-Central Luzon, Philippines." Journal of Anthropological Research. "37 (2) 130-147. Doeppers, Daniel.(1972). "The Development of Philippine Cities Before 1900." Journal of Asian Studies Robertson, James & Robertson Blare. (1909). The Philippine Islands 1493-1898. AH Clark Co. Transparency International (2007) Accessed from transparencyinternational.org Zaide, Gregorio (1993). Philippine History and Government. Anvil Read More