Migration, identity and sovereinity

• Bermuda and Caribbean states have received $100 billion in TNC profits
• Challenges to national identity:

  • UK companies being foreign owned e.g Cadburys owned by American company Kraft, JLR car industry owned by Indian company 'Tata' = creates a complicated idea of 'made in Britain'
  • Westernisation TNCs (media and retail) e.g The Mall- Milton Keynes, Disney- over 140 learning centers in China teaching English
  • Ownership of property being non-national = London - due to 1980s deregulation. In the City of London: 8% of property is foreign owned in 1980, 50% by 2011. The Tower, St George Wharf, more than 60% owned by foreign buyers)
• Consequences of disunity within nations:

  • strong nationalist movements e.g Scotland and Catalonia- 80% voted for separation from Spain in a mock referendum
  • Political tensions within BRICs due to inequalities of globalization. Brazil - hosted the 2014 World Cup but there were protests over the $22 billion spent.
  • Failed states: Sudan lacked internal cohesion since the 1955 independence. Ethnic and culturally diverse, split between north and south. 2 million lives were lost due to the conflict. South Sudan formed in 2011 - one of the poorest in the world. Less than 1% of girls in primary school.
• The British Empire

  • In 1880, 1/3 of land and 1/4 of the world population was part of the British Empire
  • used as vehicle for diffusion of the English language, laws, customs, arts and sports on a global scale
  • Trade with a large part of India through the British East India Company, led to direct British rule over most of the sub-continent – became the Raj. 1857-1914
  • British Parliament governed India, promised form of self government after help of Indians in WW1
  • Growing demands for independence- led to Amritsar Massacre 1919, british troops killed several hundred protesters
• Why did the colonial era end?

  • The economic costs of two world wars meant European countries could not maintain their empires
  • Independent movements grew in poor nations - Africa 'wind of change'
  • Reasons used to justify now seen as unethical and a breach of human rights
  • European countries are less dependent on colonies for raw materials due to the shift towards post-industrial economies
• ‘The Scramble for Africa’

  • Geometric borders drawn at the Berlin Conference in 1884-5 by European colonial powers
  • Didn’t take into account languages, ethnicities, religion or natural features - meant ethnic groups were split into different countries, and one country could have many ethnic groups
  • Led to many border disputes and conflicts