Ethnic violence, the Resource Curse and civil wars are often quoted to explain the development deficit in Africa. But a relatively little-known factor that can explain Africa’s position today is its historically low population density and its eventual role in facilitating the slave trade . Africa was historically a chronically underpopulated continent. In 1900, the … Continue reading How Population Scarcity Shaped Africa
Tag: Colonialism
Photography and the Colonial Gaze
Romila Thapar’s ‘History of India’, published in 1966 begins with: For many Europeans, India evoked a picture of Maharajas, snake-charmers, and the rope-trick. This has lent both allure and romanticism to things Indian. The introduction of photography in India in the 1840s coincided with a critical phase of British colonial expansion and consolidation. What emerged … Continue reading Photography and the Colonial Gaze

