http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/imperialism Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Thu, 28 May 2026 15:42:18 -0400 Thu, 28 May 2026 15:42:18 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1944/love-and-imperialism-reading-whitmans-leaves-of-grass-through-edward-carpenter-and-maurice-bucke By William R. Fuller - This paper explores the complexity of Whitman’s nationalism and, with reference to Leaves of Grass (1856), examines the apparent paradox between Whitman’s poetry of love and recognition and his imperialistic impulses. This paper draws upon the work of Edward and Carpenter and Maurice Bucke to frame Whitman’s nationalism within its historical-intellectual context. Ideas of evolution and cosmic consciousness intertwine with concepts of national and human destiny to give Whitman’s nationalism its distinct form, irreducible to modern definitions of nationalism, yet relevant... Fri, 11 Mar 2022 02:17 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1944/love-and-imperialism-reading-whitmans-leaves-of-grass-through-edward-carpenter-and-maurice-bucke http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1826/resurrecting-the-bog-queen-exploring-the-gender-politics-of-irelands-bogs-in-postcolonial-and-nationalist-literature By Rosie Ryan - Bogs are one of Ireland’s most notable and mysterious landscapes. As explored in the work of Seamus Heaney, the bog’s capacity to preserve memory across generations makes it a melancholic terrain that is uniquely suited to explorations of Ireland’s national identity, particularly as Ireland emerged out of the grip of British colonialism. This paper draws upon postcolonial, feminist, and literary theory to explore why the bog has become such a provocative terrain for the exploration of Irish identity and Irish femininity. Beginning with the writings of colonial administrators,... Mon, 26 Oct 2020 10:41 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1826/resurrecting-the-bog-queen-exploring-the-gender-politics-of-irelands-bogs-in-postcolonial-and-nationalist-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1769/united-states-patents-biopiracy-and-cultural-imperialism-the-theft-of-indias-traditional-knowledge By Daanyaal R. Kumar - This article aims to present the biopiracy of traditional knowledge from India by the United States, which has occurred directly through the use of patent law and indirectly through economic power and cultural imperialism. Throughout this essay, I will analyze U.S. patent law, patent law cases where Indian traditional knowledge is being stolen, and the influence of U.S. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in India. Through lenses of economic power and cultural imperialism, I will examine how economic power and U.S notions of cultural imperialism have given the United States the... Thu, 03 Oct 2019 08:21 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1769/united-states-patents-biopiracy-and-cultural-imperialism-the-theft-of-indias-traditional-knowledge http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1719/victorian-racism-an-explication-of-scientific-knowledge-its-social-character-and-its-relation-to-victorian-popular-culture By Peter Conlin - The British Empire of the nineteenth century displayed and embodied racism in its composite. In embodying this idea of racial inequality, the Empire created grounds on which it could justify the imperialist actions that it executed throughout the world during this century. Actions such as extending its power, influence, and domination to continents like Africa and Asia and imposing ‘Britishness’[1] in such places.[2] Many scholars in the existing scholarly literature have agreed on the point that racism was used as a tool of justification for imperial actions, such as Andrew Aptner... Wed, 17 Jan 2018 08:31 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1719/victorian-racism-an-explication-of-scientific-knowledge-its-social-character-and-its-relation-to-victorian-popular-culture http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1627/hegemonic-overreach-in-the-british-empire-economic-distress-strategic-imperative-and-the-fall-of-singapore By Peter Bennett-Koufie - Since the end of the Second World War, scholars of British military history have busied themselves with attempts to explain the British defeat at Singapore to Japan in February 1942. Research reveals that there existed what Peden has called an “imbalance between limited military power and extensive commitments” in the interwar era.[1] Put simply, the economic and military resources at Britain’s disposal were incommensurate with the scale of effort required to adequately defend her empire. This raises the question of why such an imbalance existed. One prominent explanation is... Wed, 19 Apr 2017 09:13 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1627/hegemonic-overreach-in-the-british-empire-economic-distress-strategic-imperative-and-the-fall-of-singapore http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1494/a-colonial-catalyst-reverberations-of-the-sykes-picot-agreement-in-the-rise-of-isis By Sumaia N. Masoom - The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (more commonly known as “ISIS,” but also referred to as the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” or simply “the Islamic State”) has been on a reign of terror in the Middle East for the past three years, and emerged seemingly out of nowhere. However, though its rise appeasr to be quite rapid and is often blamed on Islam or the Middle East itself, in reality, ISIS has its roots much deeper in history, as far back as the beginnings of Western colonialism and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and the subsequent western affinity... Fri, 11 Nov 2016 11:45 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1494/a-colonial-catalyst-reverberations-of-the-sykes-picot-agreement-in-the-rise-of-isis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1437/how-important-is-the-notion-of-the-civilising-mission-to-our-understanding-of-british-imperialism-before-1939 By Thanapat Pekanan - The ‘civilising mission' is a broad ideology that combines four main ideals; Enlightenment ideals, Christian / Evangelical ideas of pre-destination, racist ideas about white superiority and Liberalism. All these ideals have had a significant role in our understanding of British imperialism before 1939. Due to the limitations of this essay, I will focus on two of the most relevant and important aspects of the ‘civilising mission': racism and Liberalism. This essay proceeds in three parts. The first section demonstrates how important racism was in influencing the understanding of British... Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1437/how-important-is-the-notion-of-the-civilising-mission-to-our-understanding-of-british-imperialism-before-1939 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1408/exploiting-the-poor-and-powerless-forced-labor-systems-in-the-early-and-later-modern-world By Drew Liquerman - Our world has witnessed significant shifts, transformations, and evolution in government systems, the balance of power among nations, economics, the rights of men and women, and social structures and relationships over the past 500 years. However, the plight of the poor and powerless worker has remained static. Societies blessed by climate, latitude, disease resistance, powerful militaries, and a little bit of luck have used this opportunity to exploit others. Throughout recorded history, nations and cultures have taken advantage of the cheap or free labor of conquered areas or the downtrodden... Sat, 14 May 2016 07:46 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1408/exploiting-the-poor-and-powerless-forced-labor-systems-in-the-early-and-later-modern-world http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1176/factors-that-limit-regulatory-response-in-the-wake-of-the-global-financial-crisis-ideology-regulatory-capture-and-power-dynamics By Frank Wang - The second set of causes lie within an increasingly interconnected capitalist economic system. These factors include the dominance of market fundamentalist ideology, easy access to credit in the US due to globalization, and economic instability due to excess fictitious capital and irrational exuberance. Finally, I argue that systemic risks inherent in an increasingly interconnected capitalist world economy are insufficiently addressed by regulatory reactions to the global financial crisis due to three factors: theoretical neglect of systemic risk by macro-prudential regulation, regulatory capture... Wed, 23 Sep 2015 12:44 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1176/factors-that-limit-regulatory-response-in-the-wake-of-the-global-financial-crisis-ideology-regulatory-capture-and-power-dynamics http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1019/feminist-and-new-historicist-readings-of-kiplings-the-man-who-would-be-king By Kelley S. Kent - “The Man Who Would Be King” (1888)[1] is one of Rudyard Kipling’s most well known and highly acclaimed short stories. Michael Caine, Sean Connery, and Christopher Plummer starred in John Huston’s classic film adaptation (1975), which provided a testament to the story’s enduring popularity (Beckerman 180). Even when Kipling’s critical reputation suffered, “The Man Who Would Be King” continued to garner acclaim. However, because of its unsettling ambiguity, this story “resists classification” (Gilmour 37). Like the rest of misogynistic... Wed, 25 Mar 2015 11:07 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1019/feminist-and-new-historicist-readings-of-kiplings-the-man-who-would-be-king http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1002/roosevelts-imperialism-the-venezuelan-crisis-the-panama-canal-and-the-origins-of-the-roosevelt-corollary By Christopher J. Kshyk - The Roosevelt Corollary, outlined in Theodore Roosevelt’s 1904 and 1905 State of the Union addresses, proclaimed a new imperialist doctrine for American foreign policy in the western hemisphere and represents the culmination in the evolution of Roosevelt’s imperialist ideology. Roosevelt proclaimed the United States’ right to intervene in the internal affairs of any sovereign state in the western hemisphere if it conflicted with American interests in the region, and to resist European imperial ambitions in Central and South America, whether commercial or territorial, by force... Mon, 02 Mar 2015 05:49 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1002/roosevelts-imperialism-the-venezuelan-crisis-the-panama-canal-and-the-origins-of-the-roosevelt-corollary http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/817/rudyard-kiplings-literary-and-historical-legacy By Kelley S. Kent - Critical opinion of Rudyard Kipling, his imperialism, and his oeuvre has radically changed in the last century. Depending on the literary history and the time period, Kipling has been seen as either an exclusively South African poet (Warren 415), or “as little of an imperialist as Conrad” (Fowler 337). Always, however, he is a poet, novelist, and short story writer of the British Empire, whether or not critics believe Kipling supports that empire in his oeuvre. One measure of critics’ praise or censure is their critical opinion of Kim (1901). Although few think the novel has... Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:54 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/817/rudyard-kiplings-literary-and-historical-legacy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/781/propaganda-public-opinion-and-the-second-south-african-boer-war By Kelley S. Kent - The Second Boer War (1899‑1902) was costly for Great Britain and the semi‑independent South African Republic (Transvaal). It strained political relations between the British and the Boers, who did not gain independence from the United Kingdom until 1961. Political freedom and civil rights for South Africa's native population came later. What was the purpose of fighting this war? Many historians believe the Boer War was "the last of the gentleman's wars" (Krebs 55), a war to preserve the empire, but also, as seen in the mass street celebration of the relief of Mafeking on May 18, 1900... Mon, 28 Oct 2013 09:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/781/propaganda-public-opinion-and-the-second-south-african-boer-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/760/anxieties-of-empire-examining-frontier-governance-in-19th-century-british-india By Zaib Un Nisa Aziz - In May 2012, Shakil Afridi received a sentence of thirty-three years “rigorous imprisonment” and a large fine for aiding foreign intelligence gatherers in their quest for Osama bin Laden. The Pakistani state did not charge Afridi – a doctor from the Khyber area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) – under the national criminal code, where they would have risked a controversial public trial and a possible death sentence. Instead, Mohammad Nasir Khan, assistant Political Agent of Bara, Khyber Agency, announced on May 23rd, 2012 that Dr. Afridi had been tried &... Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:45 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/760/anxieties-of-empire-examining-frontier-governance-in-19th-century-british-india http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/64/breaking-boundaries-football-and-colonialism-in-the-british-empire By Patrick M. Hutchison - Finally, an article by Shaun Lopez, a stunningly handsome professor at the University of Washington, shows how resistance through football manifests itself in postcolonial Egypt. “Football as National Allegory: Al-Ahram and the Olympics in 1920s Egypt” is strikingly different from the other articles which are full of evidence of how football unified communities and became a way to instill indigenous culture into a new form of resistance. Lopez seems to suggest that football in Egypt, particularly in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, was an effort to break out of the colonized mold and become... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:35 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/64/breaking-boundaries-football-and-colonialism-in-the-british-empire