Gender as a Result of Colonialism (original) (raw)

A history of colonialism has had an effect on the cultures of the majority of the globe, and this effect is just as evident in the modern perception of gender roles and the enforced gender binary as it is in other more oft aspects of culture, such as language and religion. This paper will answer the question of what effects an extended period of colonialism and violence has had on the way that a global society views gender. This will be accomplished through the presentation of evidence that summarizes the history of gender and gender roles around the world, with examples taken from among Native Americans, Tongans, and the Igbo people of Nigeria. Cultural institutions of gender pre-colonization will be compared with the current views on gender and gender roles within the same cultures, and the cause for this difference will be elucidated. Sources including case studies, books, essays, and other research papers will be summarized, followed by an analysis of those sources and an explanation of how these sources inform the answer to the research question. This will be followed by a résumé of the results discovered throughout the research, and a discussion of these results and what they mean in the real world. The implications of all major findings will be explored, as will the potential need for continued research.